EnBW and Zelestra partner on major battery storage project – unlocking about 1.2 GWh of flexibility for Italy's power grid
Karlsruhe. EnBW is further expanding its battery storage activities and has achieved an important market milestone in Italy through one of Europe’s largest battery storage projects.
Zelestra, a global, multi-technology, customer-focused renewable energy company, has signed a long-term tolling agreement with EnBW. The agreement covers a 300 MW share of Zelestra’s approximately 500 MW, 4-hour battery storage project in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Under the agreement, Zelestra will build the battery storage project and EnBW will offtake the agreed share of the project's capacity under a long-term tolling agreement.
The project strengthens EnBW’s position in the Italian energy market and highlights the company’s growing role as a provider of innovative flexibility solutions for the energy transition. The battery storage system will support the integration of renewable energy, enhance grid stability, and provide critical flexibility to Italy’s power system.
The agreement currently ranks among the most significant battery storage cooperations in Europe and marks an important step in EnBW’s strategy to expand its international flexibility business. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with commercial operations scheduled for 2028.
About EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
With around 31,500 employees, EnBW is one of the largest energy companies in Germany and Europe. Supplying energy to some 5.5 million customers, EnBW is active across all stages of the value chain, from generation and trading to grid operation and the sale of electricity, heat and gas. As part of its transformation from a traditional energy utility into a sustainable infrastructure partner, EnBW is focusing its growth strategy and investments on expanding the distribution and transmission grids for electricity, gas and hydrogen as well as on the further expansion of renewable energies. EnBW plans to invest up to €50 billion by 2030, around 85 percent of which in Germany. By then, around 80 percent of EnBW’s generation portfolio is to consist of renewable energies. These are key milestones on the company’s path to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations by 2040. www.enbw.com
About Zelestra
Zelestra is a vertically integrated company specializing in the development, commercialization, construction and operation of large-scale renewable energy projects. The company was recently ranked by BloombergNEF among the top 10 sellers of clean energy to corporate customers — both globally and in the US. Zelestra is backed by EQT, a leading global investment organization with more than €269 billion in assets under management.