Construction approval for 1.6GWh flow battery in Switzerland: ‘about time we brought this scale to Europe’

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email

FlexBase Group will start construction on a data centre plus 800MW/1,600MWh flow battery in Switzerland imminently, the firm claimed, explaining to Energy-Storage.news how and why.

The private equity-backed company has received local construction approval for the Laufenburg
Technology Center (TZL), which will house a data centre plus a redox flow battery system, which would most likely be the largest of its kind in the world.

Approval was announced in early April with official groundbreaking said then to to take place in the next few weeks, while commissioning is scheduled for 2028. It will be built at the ‘Star of Laufenburg’, a substation with 41 cross-border power lines connecting the grids of Switzerland, Germany and France.

The ‘world’s largest and most modern redox flow battery storage system’ will be built on a 20,000m2 footprint with a power output of 800MW and an energy storage capacity of more than 1,600MWh, the company said. The system will consist of a liquid with 75% water content supplemented by 25% of a metallic electrolyte, ‘typically vanadium or bromine’, the company said.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive analysis

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Annual digital subscription to the PV Tech Power journal
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The project was revealed to the public in September 2024, the company at the time describing the storage system as 500MW-plus using a ‘non-flammable’ unnamed technology.

‘About time we introduce flow batteries at a bigger scale to Europe’

The largest flow battery in Europe is most likely in the low double-digit megawatt-hours. Meanwhile, the largest flow battery in the world, in China, is 175MW/700MWh.

Energy-Storage.news asked FlexBase for more information about the technology provider, financing and why it had decided to go so large. The firm wouldn’t disclose which company would provide the flow battery tech.

“According to research studies and calculations, a flow-battery gets less pricey if you make it bigger (levelised cost of storage/LCOS). In other words, the perfect scalability of the flow-battery allows us to build it bigger which, together with the long expectation of durability, makes it more and more comparable to investing in other, less expensive technologies such as lithium batteries,” the spokesperson said.

“Next to the crucial benefits such as being non-flammable, non-explosive and having easy maintenance requirements, we’re seeing flow-batteries perform in Asia – it’s about time we introduce them at a bigger scale to Europe.”

Meanwhile, financing for the project will come from private investors and family offices in the region of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein, they added.

Reducing the capex of flow battery technology by scaling it will be crucial given the past few years has seen consistent and substantial cost reductions for lithium-ion technology, to the extent that its proponents are now claiming it is cost-effective for 8-10 hour durations, and in the future even more.

2 December 2025
NH Collection Vittorio Veneto, Rome, Italy
Across two packed days, the Summit focused on three core themes: revenue & trading, the lifecycle of the battery, and optimisation tools. Attendees explored innovative strategies for enhancing asset performance and longevity, with a spotlight on key markets like Germany, Italy, and the UK. Stay tuned for details on the 2025 edition of the Battery Asset Management Summit Europe, where we’ll continue to chart the path forward for energy storage asset management.
24 February 2026
InterContinental London - The O2, London, UK
This isn’t just another summit – it’s our biggest and most exhilarating Summit yet! Picture this: immersive workshop spaces where ideas come to life, dedicated industry working groups igniting innovation, live podcasts sparking lively discussions, hard-hitting keynotes that will leave you inspired, and an abundance of networking opportunities that will take your connections to new heights!

Read Next

October 3, 2025
BESS provider Sungrow and power firm Engie have connected the first phase of a 400MW/800MWh project, one of the largest in Europe, to the grid in Belgium.
October 2, 2025
The TSO of Italy has completed its first MACSE auctions for energy storage, procuring 10GWh of capacity at what the NHOA CEO called ‘exceptionally competitive prices’.
October 1, 2025
Power firm VPI has signed a 700MW pipeline BESS joint venture in Germany with developer Noveria Energy, while system integrator ADS-TEC has revealed a 1GW/2GWh project.
Premium
September 30, 2025
We catch up with executives from second life specialist BESS integrator Voltfang and investor Palladio Partners to discuss their recent €250 million (US$293 million) partnership to deploy projects in Germany.
September 30, 2025
The power markets of Europe continue their shift to 15-minute settlement periods today (30 September), a reform which could increase the revenue opportunities for energy storage and other flexibility resources.

Most Popular

Email Newsletter