BELGIUM — GE Grid Solutions is modernizing ENGIE Electrabel’s pumped-storage plant substation to accelerate the energy transition.

Coo – Trois-Ponts plant has been an essential part of the Belgian energy landscape for 50 years. GE Grid Solutions’ modernization is expected to bring a 7.5% increase, which would enable the power plant to play an even more prominent role in the country’s energy transition in the coming decades. 

By the beginning of 2025, the capacity of the power plant is expected to increase from 1,080 MW to 1,159 MW (+ 79 MW), while the storage volume should increase from 6,000 MWh to 6,450 MWh (+ 450 MWh).

The planned expansion of the storage volume and capacity of Coo will make a significant contribution to the country's flexibility objectives. This flexibility is necessary for the further integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. With this investment, ENGIE is taking an important step toward supporting Belgium in the energy transition and confirming its role as a pioneer in the transition to a carbon-neutral future.

Grid Services will deliver a three-pronged approach to replace key equipment of the evacuation substation, with a continued focus on reducing the customer’s environmental footprint.

1- Modernization - The ageing equipment will be replaced with 257 MVA 400 kV step-up power transformers and high voltage disconnectors, avoiding the need to build an entirely new substation. These GE power transformers are designed to exactly fit in the same existing space but with higher performance than the prior equipment, thereby reducing the civil works required.

2 - Recycling – GE team will dismantle three 40-year-old power transformers manufactured by a third-party OEM and recycle some of the raw material such as copper, thereby reducing raw material production. The customer will be reimbursed the equivalent monetary value.

3 - Transport - Power transformers will be transported from Turkey to Belgium mainly by sea as well as by river barge, to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The GE solution enables the plant operator to increase the capacity to generate and transmit renewable power as well as reduces the site’s environmental footprint resulting from the reduction of C02 emissions.

Source: GE Grid Solutions