New laws went into effect last week in Queensland, Australia, that mean large-scale battery storage project applications must be dealt with at the state level.

According to the Q4 2025 US Energy Storage Monitor from Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and the American Clean Power Association (ACP), 2025 energy storage installations surpassed 2024 capacity.

It’s been a busy few weeks in the run-up to Christmas in Europe’s BESS project space, with M&A, final investment decisions (FID) and supplier deals in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Romania and the UK totally around 800MW of capacity.

Renewable energy companies Akuo Energy and Voltalia have begun constructing projects in French overseas territories.

Ford Motor Company’s entry into the “fiercely competitive” energy storage market is a “big strategic pivot,” but one that makes sense, ESN Premium has heard.

In this edition of the Energy-Storage.news US news roundup, EticaAG partners with Shell on battery immersion tech, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory begins utility-scale battery testing, and ON.Energy announces a transformer supply agreement.

 Utility Georgia Power has reached an agreement with the Public Interest Advocacy (PIA) staff of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), that, if approved, will help lower energy costs and meet electricity demand in the state.

Lithium-ion OEM Hithium has unveiled a new, even larger format 1,300Ah battery cell for 8-hour BESS applications, alongside new related BESS products.

Global average prices for turnkey battery storage systems fell by almost a third year-over-year, with sharp cost declines expected to continue.

A total of around 4.9GW/14GWh of grid-scale BESS entered commercial operations around the world last month, a 29% fall year-on-year owing to an unusually slow month in China.