Montea is to invest almost €30 million in battery-based energy storage systems, the property company announced in a press release on Friday. In this way, Montea aims to reduce the ecological footprint of all its sites, as well as its dependence on the energy grid.
"Our logistics centres are already a leading force in sustainability. By installing battery energy storage systems, we can supply more energy to our customers and help stabilise the grid," said Dirk Van Buggenhout, Chief Sustainability Officer at Montea. "This investment is fully aligned with Montea’s strategy to champion a future-oriented, climate-friendly business,” he added.
The company will invest €17.5 million in installing battery energy storage systems (BESS) at 14 of its sites across Belgium. Almost half of its portfolio in the country will thus be equipped with its own energy storage system by the end of the year. This will be equivalent to a total storage capacity of 35 MWh. The company also plans to invest another €12.5 million in the Netherlands in the near future.
The stored energy will be used to light, heat, and cool logistics platforms, as well as to power electric vehicles. The installation of these battery energy storage systems will also help alleviate some of the congestion on the grid.
Belgian high-voltage grid operator Elia has said in its Adequacy and Flexibility for Belgium (2024-2034) study that the flexibility created by battery storage systems, amongst others, will be central to its strategy in the coming years, as noted by Montea. By the end of the year, the company will also have a total capacity of 87 MWp (megawatt peak) of solar panels on its roofs.
