Musselkanaal | S4 energy

S4 Musselkanaal
A strategic storage project under development

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In Development

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Ready-To-Build

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Under Construction

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Site In Operation

About S4 Musselkanaal

The Musselkanaal project is a large-scale battery energy storage system located at Industrieterrein Groningen Zuid. Once completed, it will be the largest BESS installation in the Netherlands, providing substantial storage capacity in one of the country’s most important renewable energy regions.

Currently under development, Musselkanaal is designed to relieve grid congestion in the northeast of the Netherlands, where solar and offshore wind generation is abundant while local demand remains relatively limited.

Project Details

Capacity 500 MW / 2,000 MWh
Duration 4 hrs
Status Under development
COD Q3 2028
BESS technology To be confirmed (tender ongoing)
Grid operator TenneT

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Project Highlights

  • Largest battery energy storage system in the Netherlands upon completion
  • 500 MW / 2,000 MWh grid-forming BESS supporting national grid stability
  • Strategically located in a high-renewables, high-congestion region
  • Developed with strong focus on safety, grid resilience, and environmental integration

Impact

Once operational, the Musselkanaal project will be capable of supplying approximately 516,000 households with electricity for around 3.8 consecutive hours.

By significantly reducing reliance on gas-fired power plants and alleviating grid congestion in the north of the Netherlands, the project is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions, and materially strengthen the reliability of the Dutch electricity system.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Musselkanaal project addresses one of the key challenges of the energy transition: balancing an electricity system with growing volumes of variable renewable generation. By storing surplus energy from solar and offshore wind and releasing it when demand is high, the project helps reduce grid congestion in the northeast of the Netherlands, where renewable supply is abundant but local consumption is limited. In doing so, it supports both national and European goals for reliable, low-carbon energy systems.

Once completed, Musselkanaal will be the largest battery energy storage installation in the Netherlands, providing 500 MW / 2,000 MWh of storage capacity at a strategically important location in the northern energy region. Its scale and direct connection to TenneT’s transmission network position the project as a critical flexibility asset for managing regional congestion and supporting the wider European power system.

The project will deploy grid-forming battery, inverter, and transformer systems capable of actively supporting the electricity grid. These systems will provide inertia, voltage optimisation, black-start capability, and both reactive and active power, enabling the battery to play an active role in grid stabilisation rather than operating solely as a passive storage asset.

S4 Energy develops the project in line with high safety and quality standards, including PGS 37, the ISO 27000 series, and internationally recognised fire safety certifications such as UL 9540 and UL 9540A. These standards guide the project’s design, technology selection, and operational approach to ensure safe and reliable long-term performance.

S4 Energy maintains close contact with local businesses, neighbours, and environmental organisations to ensure strong local engagement and ecological integration. An ecological zone will be created around the site, tailored to local flora and fauna and maintained by a local company. This approach strengthens local environmental value while delivering broader societal benefits through improved grid stability, reduced reliance on gas-fired generation, and more stable wholesale energy prices.

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