Mapping of pumped storage potential in the Walloon Region

In a context of global climate change, Wallonia has embarked on the path to energy transition. By 2050, the use of renewable energies will be predominant. Among these, wind power and photovoltaics are intermittent and cannot be controlled. It is therefore necessary to identify storage solutions to ensure a match between future electricity supply and demand. The study, carried out by ICEDD, ULiège and ULB, set out to identify promising sites in Wallonia for the implementation of energy storage units by hydraulic pumping-storage. After having defined the physical criteria and the regulatory constraints to be respected for the implementation of STEP, the study consisted of a systematic objective analysis of the Walloon potential by cartographic processing. The Walloon relief in fact represents an opportunity to develop such modular and reactive electrical energy storage projects. The scope of analysis focused on surface sites (natural areas with favorable relief, quarries, existing hydraulic structures). Ultimately, 17 sites were selected for technical-economic evaluation because they were considered the most relevant.