Mourik lays foundation for renewable energy storage

Battery farms are becoming increasingly important in the transition to sustainable and CO2-neutral energy. Storing (renewable) energy helps balance the electricity grid and creates flexibility in our energy system. After all, this is becoming increasingly dependent on variable sources such as wind and solar. British energy company Centrica is investing in the battery energy storage system (BESS) of Dutch company Alfen and has chosen Ostend as the location for Centrica's first battery park in continental Europe. Mourik was asked to do the structural, civil work to lay the foundation for the battery park. Extra complexity: the battery park is located on a chemical plant, with all its particularities and safety requirements.

Soil and groundwater remediation

Energy is familiar territory for us. We work a lot for Elia and, in that sense, the switch to this battery farm was not so big. It will also be integrated into Elia's high-voltage grid. But we couldn't just start. In fact, the soil and groundwater turned out to be contaminated, so soil remediation was necessary. It became an ex-situ remediation, in which we removed the contaminated soil to the GRC in Kallo. Mourik participates in this Soil Recycling Centre. We then covered the soil with a layer of special fabric with a top layer of clean soil on top. We also had to clean the groundwater. We pumped up the contaminated water and transported it via containers and tankers for purification.

Civil works and infrastructure battery park

The civil work involved a wide range of activities. First of all, the civil engineering of the battery farm, taking into account its special location. Then we provided demolition work, pile foundations and construction of the foundations for the battery systems, inverters and transformers. In the battery park, we handled about 12 kilometres of cables. And we handled all infrastructure works on and around the site, such as the roads on the site. This also included 'making the site look nice', with grass and flowers, plus the fencing.

Our added value in this project was, as is often the case, the sum of expertise: civil work from engineering to completion, plus in this case environmental engineering. Without this expertise, the project would certainly have stalled. We have the experience of working on high-voltage substations and previous battery farms. And we are very much at home on complex industrial sites, such as this chemical plant with all the associated safety requirements and protocols. Mourik is at home in all markets.