Italy’s Battery Storage Market Expands: OX2 Acquires 200 MW of Four-Hour Battery Storage Projects from Hanwha
Stockholm – Italy’s energy storage market is entering another phase of expansion: preparations are underway for a second auction under the MACSE tender mechanism to support the country’s large-scale storage development targets. Against this backdrop, Swedish project developer OX2 is strengthening its presence in Italy and has acquired two battery storage projects in southern Italy from Hanwha Energy Europe.
OX2 Acquires Two Storage Projects in Apulia
OX2 has acquired two battery storage projects from Hanwha Energy Europe, the European subsidiary of South Korean Hanwha Group, each with a power capacity of 100 MW and a storage duration of four hours (400 MWh). Both facilities are planned for construction in the southern Italian region of Apulia. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027, with commissioning planned for the end of 2028. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
“This acquisition is a substantial addition to our energy storage portfolio in Italy,” said Paolo Tusa, Country Manager of OX2 Italy. According to the company, OX2’s development portfolio in Italy currently comprises projects with a total capacity of around 1.5 GW. The company has been active in the Italian market since 2021. OX2 plans to further expand its activities in Italy in the areas of wind energy, solar power, and energy storage.
PNIEC Targets and MACSE Auctions Provide the Framework
Italy’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) targets around 11 GW of grid-connected large-scale storage power capacity by 2030. Through the MACSE mechanism (Meccanismo di Approvvigionamento di Capacità di Stoccaggio Elettrico), which was approved by Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) in October 2024 following a proposal by grid operator Terna, around 50 GWh of electricity storage capacity is to be procured by 2030.
In the first auction on 30 September 2025, Terna awarded the entire offered capacity of 10 GWh at a weighted average price of around EUR 12,959 per MWh per year — significantly below the maximum price of EUR 37,000 set by the Italian energy regulator ARERA. The second auction round is scheduled for 24 November 2026 and is expected to cover around 16 GWh. The required volume was confirmed by decree on 20 May 2026.
According to grid operator Terna, Italy had battery storage systems with a combined power capacity of around 7,362 MW and a storage capacity of 17,920 MWh at the end of 2025, distributed across approximately 884,400 installations. This means that Italy’s installed storage power capacity remains below the PNIEC target of 11 GW by 2030.
Further MACSE auction rounds, along with new project developments and transactions such as OX2’s acquisition of the Hanwha projects, are likely to support the continued growth of Italy’s energy storage market.
Source: IWR Online, 07 Aug 2026
