BW ESS and ACL Energy expand Italian BESS partnership
Partners’ pipeline of mid-stage BESS projects in Italy now stands at 14 projects and 2.9 GW
21st November 2024, Zürich/MILAN — BW ESS and ACL Energy have announced a significant expansion of their joint project development pipeline for stand-alone, utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Italy. Building on their initial partnership established in February 2024 – which included three projects totalling 0.4 GW – the two companies now commit to co-developing an additional eleven projects with a substantial 2.5 GW of capacity.
This expansion brings the total development pipeline managed by the BW ESS and ACL Energy partnership to 14 projects, representing 2.9 GW of capacity across Italy’s North and South electricity zones. All projects have secured land and grid access and are advancing towards obtaining permits. Notably, seven of these projects totalling over 1 GW are already undergoing review by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE). Northern projects will target participation in the capacity market scheme, while Southern projects aim to bid in the Mechanism for Procuring Electricity Storage Capacity (MACSE).
The partnership’s growth aligns with Italy’s accelerating renewable energy expansion, and thus need for energy storage. According to Terna[1], the Italian transmission system operator, the country added 2.9 GW of wind and solar capacity in 2022, 5.7 GW in 2023, and another 5.4 GW in the first nine months of 2024. The scale of BW ESS and ACL Energy’s collaboration underscores their shared belief in the critical role of BESS in Italy’s transition to a sustainable energy future.
Roberto Jiménez, Executive Director of BW ESS, stated: “Deepening our partnership with ACL Energy allows us to significantly scale our development activities in Italy. We believe our shared pipeline represents one of the largest among non-utility players in the Italian BESS market. We’re excited to contribute to the country’s energy transition by bringing substantial battery storage capacity online.”
Nicola Locascio, Managing Partner of ACL Energy, added: “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with a global leader like BW ESS, whose expertise in energy storage is invaluable. This collaboration is a cornerstone of our medium- and long-term strategy, reinforcing ACL Energy’s ambition to lead in Italy’s rapidly growing energy storage sector.”
ACL Energy was advised by Eversheds Sutherland, while BW ESS received counsel from Bird & Bird, with technical advisory support from Kiwa Moroni.
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About BW ESS
BW ESS is a global energy storage owner-operator, moving with speed to develop, build and operate market-leading energy storage projects across multiple countries. Working with strategic partners in the UK, Italy, Sweden, Germany, and Australia, the business has grown a multi-gigawatt development pipeline, with over 1 GWh of projects currently in construction. As an active investor with development exposure, BW ESS has a strategy to hold assets for the long-term, taking a hands-on approach to unlock value throughout the energy storage asset lifecycle. Part of BW Group, BW ESS is able to leverage decades of experience in energy infrastructure investment, delivery and operation – and the scale and connections needed to move the needle in global energy storage. To find out more, visit: https://bw-ess.com
About ACL Energy
ACL Energy is an independent energy infrastructure developer focused on stand-alone battery energy storage systems. Founded by experienced professionals with more of 30 years combined experience in technical development and business development for RES and battery storage projects. ACL is focused on greenfield opportunities to lead its projects to a high-quality Ready-to-Build (RTB) Assets and owns an active pipeline >5 GW of which 3.5 GW with grid connection secured. To find out more, visit: https://acl-energy.com
Media contacts:
Laurenz Krumbacher
Tamarindo
Hana Schoon
BW ESS
Nicola Locascio
ACL Energy