Italy’s Grid Gets a Boost With a Major New Battery Storage Project

In a significant win for Italy’s energy transition, SUSI Partners’ ReFeel New Energy (RNE) has secured a 15-year capacity market contract for a 52 MW/207 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Tuscany. The deal, awarded at €47,000 per MW annually, marks a key step in stabilizing Italy’s grid as it shifts toward renewables.

Auction Win Paves the Way for 2027 Launch

The contract, granted by Italian grid operator Terna in February 2025, covers the 2027 delivery year, with full project authorization locked in by December 2024. Construction is set to begin in Q3 2025, targeting commercial operations by early 2027. Notably, RNE’s project was the only BESS development in Tuscany to secure a contract in this auction round.

“This contract mitigates merchant risk and guarantees stable revenue while reinforcing grid reliability,” said an RNE spokesperson. “It’s a blueprint for how storage can accelerate the energy transition.”

Scaling Up Europe’s Storage Pipeline

RNE, founded in 2022, is rapidly expanding its footprint in Europe’s energy storage market. The company currently boasts a 980 MW BESS pipeline alongside a 320 MW solar PV portfolio, with plans to bid in future auctions. The Tuscany project underscores SUSI Partners’ broader strategy through its Energy Transition Fund (SETF), which targets storage and renewable assets across Europe and OECD markets.

As Italy races to modernize its grid, long-duration storage projects like this one could prove critical in balancing intermittent wind and solar generation. With construction just over a year away, the Tuscany BESS is poised to become a linchpin of regional energy resilience.

Elsewhere in energy news, the Spring 2025 issue of *Energy Global* explores negative electricity pricing trends and breakthroughs in solar deployment—signs of a sector in flux.