The article reports that ENGIE is expanding its European battery energy storage systems (BESS) portfolio through two major steps: the acquisition of 278MW of storage projects in Spain and the start of construction on a 110MW facility in France. These additions take the company’s European BESS portfolio to more than 1GW, alongside 700MW already operating or under construction across eight countries. In Spain, ENGIE has acquired two stand-alone projects in Andalusia: a 78MW/312MWh facility in Álora and a 200MW/800MWh facility in Tarifa. Both are designed to provide up to four hours of storage and will include synchronous condensers to support grid inertia and reactive power management. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with phased commissioning in 2028, further strengthening ENGIE’s position in a country where it already operates 1.8GW of renewable generation.

In France, the company has broken ground on its first domestic battery storage project at Castelnau d’Aude, where a two-hectare site will host 51 modules with a total capacity of 110MW/220MWh, capable of storing and discharging electricity for up to two hours. Commissioning is targeted for summer 2027. The article frames these projects as part of ENGIE’s broader strategy to support the energy transition by pairing renewable growth with system stability, in line with its goal of reaching 95GW of renewable and storage capacity by 2030. Paulo Almirante, senior executive vice-president of ENGIE Renewable & Flexible Power, presents the expansion as a response to one of the transition’s central challenges: delivering electricity that is not only decarbonised, but also reliable and affordable. The piece also notes that ENGIE is pursuing BESS development in several other European markets and links this momentum to the company’s wider infrastructure ambitions, including its recent agreement to acquire UK Power Networks.

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Source: https://www.power-technology.com/news/engie-expand-european-bess-portfolio/