TL;DR
RWE and BNZ have started construction on battery energy storage projects in Italy with a combined stated capacity of 478.5MWh. RWE’s 262.5MWh project in Sicily is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2027; BNZ’s two 108MWh projects in Lazio are planned to enter service before the end of 2026.
RWE and BNZ have started construction on three battery energy storage projects in Italy totaling 478.5MWh, adding new grid-scale capacity as the country prepares for its second state-backed storage auction. The projects comprise RWE’s 262.5MWh battery in Sicily and two 108MWh batteries being added to BNZ solar plants in Lazio.
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RWE said construction has begun on its 62.5MW/262.5MWh Ragusa project in Sicily. The battery is scheduled to connect to the grid at the 150-kilovolt level, with commissioning planned for the end of 2027. It is RWE’s first battery storage project in Italy, although the company has operated in the country’s solar and wind markets for years. The project did not win a contract in Italy’s first MACSE auction, according to Energy-Storage.News.
RWE has not named the battery supplier in its announcement. The report says the project will use 42 lithium-ion battery units. That configuration appears consistent with equipment from Longi, which previously said it would supply 300MWh of battery storage for a project matching the description. The report presents that connection as an apparent match, not as a supplier confirmation by RWE.
BNZ, an independent power producer owned by Nuveen Infrastructure, has started building two 27MW/108MWh batteries in Lazio. They are being added to the company’s operating Rinaldone and Camposcala solar plants, rated at 45MWp and 53MWp respectively. BNZ said the storage will let the sites hold electricity during periods of high solar production and send it to the grid when demand is higher. Construction is being carried out by Grupotec and Grupo Elecnor, with commissioning planned before the end of 2026. BNZ announced an order for the two systems from Sungrow in July.
Storage Joins Italy’s Solar Pipeline
The three projects illustrate two approaches to adding batteries to Italy’s power system: standalone grid-connected storage, as with RWE’s Ragusa installation, and batteries paired with operating solar farms, as with BNZ’s Lazio projects. Storage can shift when electricity is delivered, helping solar plant operators move some output from high-production periods toward times of stronger demand. The companies’ project announcements do not, by themselves, establish how much the batteries will reduce grid congestion or affect electricity prices.
The timing also puts the construction starts ahead of Italy’s second MACSE auction, scheduled for later in November, according to the source report. The first auction took place in September 2025 and offered 15-year guaranteed revenues, which the report describes as a catalyst for grid-scale storage development. The new projects are not all products of that auction: RWE’s project was not among the first round’s winners, and BNZ’s batteries are being built alongside existing solar assets.
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Italy’s Auction-Driven Storage Expansion
Italy’s first MACSE auction, held in September 2025, offered selected storage projects 15 years of guaranteed revenues. Energy-Storage.News reported that the mechanism helped kick-start a wave of grid-scale battery development, with gigawatt-hours of projects entering construction in the year that followed. The second auction was scheduled for later in November 2026; its final results and the projects that may secure contracts were not included in the report.
BNZ had previously announced plans to add batteries to solar projects across Spain, Italy and Portugal. Its two Lazio systems are part of that broader hybridisation effort. RWE’s Ragusa battery is a separate development and marks the company’s first Italian BESS project. Industry attention is also due to turn to Rome, where the Battery Asset Management Summit Europe is scheduled for December 2–3, 2026.
“The batteries will allow the company to store energy during peak production and discharge it to the grid during higher-demand periods.”
— BNZ
Suppliers and Auction Outcomes Pending
RWE has not confirmed its battery supplier in the announcement described by the report. The apparent link to Longi is based on the reported unit configuration and Longi’s earlier supply announcement; the source does not establish that RWE has formally identified Longi as the supplier. The report also notes that Longi previously referred to 300MWh of equipment, while RWE lists 262.5MWh of project capacity, and does not explain the difference.
The second MACSE auction’s results were not yet available in the source material, nor was it clear which projects would qualify for its revenue guarantees. The report gives BNZ’s planned commissioning window as before the end of 2026, but provides no more specific date. It also does not detail the projects’ financing, expected revenues, battery duration beyond the stated power and energy ratings, or individual grid-service contracts.
Commissioning and Auction Milestones
The near-term milestone is Italy’s second MACSE auction, scheduled for later in November 2026. Its outcome should clarify which storage projects receive the auction’s long-term revenue support, though the source report does not predict winners or state when results will be published.
On the construction front, BNZ’s two batteries are planned to begin operating before the end of 2026. RWE’s Ragusa project has a later target, with commissioning scheduled for the end of 2027. Further updates will be needed to confirm supplier details for RWE’s installation and whether both companies meet their announced schedules.
Key Questions
How much battery capacity are the projects adding?
The three projects have a combined stated energy capacity of 478.5MWh: RWE’s Ragusa project is 262.5MWh, and BNZ’s two Lazio batteries are 108MWh each.
Where are the projects located?
RWE’s project is in Ragusa, Sicily. BNZ is adding one battery each to its Rinaldone and Camposcala solar plants in the Lazio region.
When are the batteries expected to be commissioned?
BNZ plans to commission its two systems before the end of 2026. RWE has scheduled commissioning of its Ragusa battery for the end of 2027.
Has RWE confirmed who will supply its batteries?
Not in the announcement described by the report. Longi appears to be a possible supplier based on an earlier announcement and the reported equipment configuration, but RWE has not named a supplier in the source material.
Are all three projects backed by the MACSE auction?
No. The report says RWE’s Ragusa project was not among the winners of the first MACSE auction. It does not say that BNZ’s two projects received first-round auction contracts. Italy’s second auction was scheduled for later in November 2026.
Source: energy-storage.news
