Australia-based battery technology firm Altech Batteries has received a binding conditional funding approval for a sodium-chloride solid-state battery manufacturing facility in Germany.

It’s our first week back to normal service so here’s a roundup of the past few weeks of BESS action in Europe, with projects moving forward in Romania, Denmark, UK, France, Spain, Albania, Germany and Austria.

IPP Zelestra and utility EDP’s recent PPA deal for a solar-plus-storage project in Spain was the first of its kind in Europe and ‘moves the market forward’, a Zelestra executive told Energy-Storage.news.

Finland’s largest BESS to date will need to cope with “especially challenging” operating conditions and stringent and evolving grid code requirements.

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.

Trade association Energy Storage Europe (ESE) has welcomed proposed reforms to European Union (EU) grid connection and permitting processes.

The Ministry of the Environment in Poland has shortlisted projects for an energy storage capex support programme totalling 4.15 billion PLN (c.€1 billion), with 183 eligible to progress to the next round.

A trio of large-scale BESS announcements by major power firms of 700-800MWh capacity each in Germany show the country’s energy storage market moving into the new era of scale.

The recent introduction of 15-minute settlement periods across European power markets could result in significantly higher profits for battery storage asset operators.