BKW and Zelestra enable large battery storage facility in northern Italy
Bern/Bilbao - The Bern-based BKW Group has reached an agreement with the Spanish energy company Zelestra to finance one of Europe's largest battery storage facilities. The planned facility in northern Italy will have a storage capacity of 2 gigawatt hours and is scheduled to be fully operational in 2028.
(CONNECT) The Bern-based BKW Group has signed an agreement with the Spanish energy company Zelestra, which is headquartered in Bilbao, to finance one of Europe's largest battery energy storage systems (BESS). According to a statement, Zelestra will make part of the BESS plant's generation capacity available to BKW to optimize its market flexibility.
The agreement reportedly creates the first long-term financing model for Italian battery storage facilities. It is intended to enable the construction of a 2 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) in northern Italy, making it one of the largest battery storage projects in Europe. Construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in 2027, with full operations planned for 2028.
In 2024, the two companies signed an agreement for the purchase of electricity from two Italian solar projects – in Ginosa in Puglia and in Bellomo in Sicily – with a total capacity of 16 megawatts direct current (MWdc).
“Beyond the technical achievement, this project underlines both our strong presence in the Italian market and our ambition to keep growing,” Bianca Sarbu, Head of Trading & Origination at BKW, is quoted as saying. “The agreement with Zelestra supports BKW’s strategy Solutions 2030 by focusing on the expansion of Flex and Green Solutions, and by broadening our portfolio in Italian renewables.”
“Italy is a key growth market for Zelestra, and we support the ambitious national solar power and BESS targets,” said Eliano Russo, Zelestra’s Country Manager in Italy. “We intend to grow our customer base here, and our project pipeline, significantly in the years ahead.” ce/ja
