As the share of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, increases in Europe’s energy mix, the challenge is to keep electricity grids stable and balance supply and demand. Grid operators are therefore looking for flexible capacity, such as large-scale battery storage. Kallima Energies is responding to this need by building Gramme Storage 1, a large-scale battery with a capacity of 50 megawatts, representing an investment of €40 million.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Synergy across three areas of expertise"},{"alignedImage":{"position":"bottom","extension":"jpg","original":"https://assets.ing.com/asset/64e766e9-fc37-48c1-ba52-9e3b5f614bc5/Kallima-Gramme-Storage-1.jpg","transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/64e766e9-fc37-48c1-ba52-9e3b5f614bc5/Kallima-Gramme-Storage-1"},"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Kallima Energies draws on the know-how of three other companies within the same group:
“We brought this complementary expertise together within Kallima Energies, enabling us to focus on major energy infrastructure projects,” explains Paul-Hadrien Berger. The ambition is clear: to build a long-term portfolio of sustainable assets. Battery storage is currently the main driver of growth, but the company also intends to expand its activities to include solar parks, among other projects.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"50 MW available at a key energy hub"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"The choice of Tihange, centrally located on the Namur–Liège axis, for the first project is no coincidence. The Gramme Storage 1 facility is situated directly next to the Gramme high-voltage substation, a key hub in Elia’s transmission grid. With several high-voltage lines available, the site is ideally positioned to feed electricity into the grid or draw it from the grid and store it temporarily, depending on market conditions.
The battery park helps reduce our reliance on fossil fuel power plants when supply is tight.
The facility will have a power rating of 50 MW and a storage capacity of 109 MWh. “In practical terms, the batteries are charged when there is a surplus of low-cost electricity – particularly during peaks in renewable energy production. They feed electricity back into the grid when demand exceeds the available supply,” explains Guillaume Poncelet, Director of Kallima Energies. This flexible capacity helps absorb surplus renewable energy while also reducing our reliance on fossil fuel power plants when supply is tight.
The project’s business model is built around several revenue streams. Guillaume Poncelet explains: “Gramme Storage 1 will operate directly on the electricity market, particularly through the day-ahead and intraday markets and by providing ancillary services to Elia. In addition, the project has secured a 16-year contract under which it will be remunerated for making capacity available to the grid, helping to prevent blackouts or high prices. This provides revenue certainty once the facility becomes operational.”
"}},{"componentType":"highlight","richBody":{"value":"To finance the €40 million investment, Kallima Energies formed a consortium with institutional investors: the Walloon and federal investment companies SOCOFE and SFPIM, and the Wallonie Entreprendre agency. ING Lease Belgium also provided a structured lease facility of €33 million.
“This project fits perfectly with our strategy to accelerate the energy transition by supporting projects with tailored financing solutions,” says Eric Vereecken, Relationship Manager at ING. “Battery storage gives the electricity grid greater flexibility and provides the necessary safeguards to integrate renewable energy into our energy system on a large scale.”
For Kallima Energies, the speed at which the financing was arranged was a major advantage. “Energy-sector projects involve permitting and grid-connection procedures that can take years. Any time saved after that is welcome,” Paul-Hadrien Berger emphasises. “Thanks to ING’s swift response, we were able to finalise the lease in record time and get construction under way quickly.”
ING Lease also brings its own expertise to the table. The company has been financing energy-sector projects for almost twenty years, combining market knowledge, financial analysis and legal expertise. “We understand the challenges surrounding permits and grid connections. We discuss the business case and legal structure with the client so that they can benefit from our know-how,” says Laurent Schinckus of ING Lease. “Our aim is to develop flexible solutions tailored to the specific characteristics and scale of each project.”
"},"title":"An investment of €40 million"},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Gramme Storage 2 is already in the pipeline"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Gramme Storage 1 is scheduled to become operational in summer 2027. Kallima Energies is already looking ahead to the next phase. Gramme Storage 2 is in the pipeline: a project at the same location, but with a higher power rating of 124 MW and a capacity of 496 MWh.
“Gramme Storage 1 is the first tangible outcome of our strategy. With Gramme Storage 2, we will move to industrial-scale storage,” says Paul-Hadrien Berger. “At the same time, we are exploring other opportunities for storage facilities and solar parks in Wallonia, Flanders and abroad.”
"}},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Find out how ING supports businesses in thesustainable transition.
This article was previously published in Trends/Tendances.
"},"title":"Wondering what ING can do for you?"}]},"hasMacro":false,"id":"4b7aedc7-f3f7-4cf9-bb26-92e59690bd88","legalZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Society is transitioning to a low-carbon economy. So are our clients, and so is ING. We finance a lot of sustainable activities, but we still finance more that’s not. See how we’re progressing on ing.com/climate.
This article is for informative purposes only and the information set out herein may change with time. We therefore recommend that you always reference specific regulations and requirements with the competent authorities for the latest information. Additionally, we advise that you seek professional advice on a case-by-case basis before making any decisions. Please note that ING Belgium SA/NV cannot be held liable for any decision taken on the basis of the information provided.
"}}]},"localeString":"en-GB","mainHeaderZone":{"backLink":{"textLink":{"text":"Sustainable business","url":"/en/business/sustainable-business"}},"componentType":"editorialHeader","coreHeader":{"body":"The more renewable energy enters our energy system, the greater the need to store electricity temporarily. Chaudfontaine-based Kallima Energies aims to develop projects in precisely this field. Its first major battery park, “Gramme Storage 1”, is under construction in Tihange. It demonstrates that the sector has reached financial maturity and that this type of infrastructure has a central role to play in the electricity grid.","title":"Kallima Energies helps keep the lights on"},"date":"2026-09-10","readingTime":0},"publishDate":"2026-09-30T10:00:02.306+02:00"}}