The landscape of Gundremmingen in Bavaria is changing once again. Only days after the demolition of the iconic cooling towers at the area’s former nuclear power plant, RWE has officially begun construction on what will become Germany’s largest battery storage system — a symbolic step in the nation’s accelerating energy transition.
Political and industry leaders attended Wednesday’s groundbreaking event, underscoring the strategic importance of the site. Gundremmingen already hosts substantial grid infrastructure, making it a suitable location for projects that support the expansion of renewable energy.
Storage capacity designed for a renewables-driven grid
The new battery system will have a capacity of around 700 megawatt hours, enabling surplus electricity — particularly from solar and wind — to be stored and supplied during periods of low production. This type of technology is critical as Germany reduces reliance on nuclear and fossil fuels while integrating more variable renewable power.
As solar production peaks during daylight hours and wind availability fluctuates, grid-scale batteries help maintain supply stability. RWE highlights that this new system will directly strengthen energy security in southern Germany, where nuclear power once played a key role.
Solar park and flexible gas plant already in preparation
RWE is also planning a 55-hectare solar park at the Gundremmingen site, expected to produce up to 70 million kilowatt hours per year — enough to supply about 20,000 households with clean electricity. Construction is set to start next year.
To ensure reliability in extreme demand situations, the energy company intends to add a gas-fired peaker plant capable of providing backup power when renewable output is insufficient. Such facilities operate only during short periods of high demand but are considered essential until long-duration storage becomes widely available.
A long goodbye to nuclear operations
The cooling towers of the former nuclear plant, once defining features of the region, were destroyed in a controlled demolition last weekend. Yet the full dismantling of the facility is expected to continue well into the 2030s — an intricate process that accompanies Germany’s exit from nuclear energy.
Gundremmingen remains a site of energy transformation: from decades of nuclear generation to a future increasingly powered by renewables and modern storage solutions. For the region, the groundbreaking marks not only a technical upgrade — but a symbolic promise of clean power replacing a bygone era.
