UK energy regulator Ofgem has shortlisted 16 projects for the first ever long-duration energy storage (LDES) cap-and-floor scheme, totalling 7.6GW of capacity ranging from 8- to 22-hour durations.

NatPower and Tesla have signed a multi-year supply and execution agreement covering more than 25GWh of BESS across Italy and the UK.

FlexGen and Eos Energy Enterprises, two US energy storage sector companies with different specialisations, have entered the European market.

What is driving and shaping European BESS project financing and M&A this year?

After a quiet period, M&A in the UK’s large-scale BESS market has picked up with transactions from CIP, Fidra Energy, Elements Green, Gresham House and Eelpower in the past fortnight.

Managers of the UK’s largest BESS owner-operator Gresham House Energy Storage Fund (GRID) discussed recent investment news and future strategy this week. 

The UK’s NESO has cleared 150GW of BESS from its grid connection queues, according to figures from BloombergNEF.

What are the system needs that LDES is going to solve, and what technologies are most appropriate for those applications?

We catch up with James Mills, managing director of UK BESS investor Adaptogen Capital, about UK market dynamics, its expansion into Europe, and BESS capex in 2026 and beyond.

There’s been progress on several large-scale BESS projects in the UK, with Matrix Renewables securing financing for its Eccles project and BW ESS enlisting EDF to optimise its Hams Hall one; plus smaller announcements.