Vattenfall Expands Battery Portfolio to Nearly 1.3 GW – Large-Scale Storage in Germany and the Netherlands Drives Growth
Berlin – Swedish energy group Vattenfall has expanded its European battery portfolio to almost 1,300 MW. A large-scale storage project in Brunsbüttel and an agreement on battery capacity in the Netherlands contribute to this. About 240 MW of the portfolio is in operation so far.
Vattenfall Portfolio: Germany and the Netherlands Are the Focus
According to Vattenfall, its European battery portfolio totals 1,294 MW. Of this, 238 MW is in operation, while a further 1,056 MW is in the project pipeline. The portfolio includes both company-owned assets and contractually secured storage capacity of other operators.
Germany is the largest single market with 711 MW. Of this, 55 MW is in operation, while 656 MW comprises planned projects and contractually secured storage capacity. In the Netherlands, the portfolio totals 465 MW, including 65 MW in operation. In addition, there are 98 MW in Sweden and 20 MW in Great Britain, all of which is in operation.
Germany and the Netherlands together account for around 91 percent of the battery power capacity.
Brunsbüttel: Vattenfall Invests in Battery Storage Exceeding 1,000 MWh
One key expansion project is the planned large-scale battery storage system at the site of the former Brunsbüttel nuclear power plant in Schleswig-Holstein. The facility is planned to reach a power capacity of 254 MW and, according to storage technology provider Fluence, a storage capacity of more than 1,000 MWh. Vattenfall has contracted Fluence with turnkey construction and long-term support. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2028. With a calculated storage duration of around four hours at full power, the project is designed for multi-hour use in the power market. The investment decision has been made.
In addition, Vattenfall has concluded an agreement with Dutch tank storage and infrastructure company Royal Vopak. Under a tolling agreement, it secures Vattenfall access to 100 MW of power capacity and 400 MWh of storage capacity of a planned large-scale battery storage facility near Meeden. The overall project has a power capacity of 150 MW and a storage capacity of 600 MWh. Commissioning is scheduled for the second quarter of 2028.
Vattenfall Expands Marketing of Third-Party Battery Storage
Alongside its own investments, Vattenfall is expanding the marketing and optimisation of battery storage of independent project developers. At the end of September 2026, the company concluded an agreement to market four large-scale battery storage systems with a combined 285 MW in Germany, belonging to an independent flexibility provider.
The systems are being built at four sites in different German control areas. According to Vattenfall, it receives direct control of the storage systems and integrates them into its automated trading and optimisation processes. Marketing is based on market conditions in the wholesale power market and in the balancing power markets.
Three of the four systems were under construction at the time of the announcement. The first system is scheduled to start commercial operation from January 2027. The agreements run until 2036 and give Vattenfall long-term access to the flexibility of the assets, without the company having to act as project developer itself.
This allows Vattenfall to integrate additional storage capacity into its trading business. The cooperation enables independent storage operators to market their assets via the trading and optimisation platform of an established energy company.
European Large-Scale Storage Market Grows – Flexibility Becomes a Business Area
According to SolarPower Europe, battery storage with a total capacity of 36 GWh was newly installed in Europe in 2025. This represents an increase of 48 percent compared with the previous year. For the first time, large-scale battery storage accounted for more than half of annual capacity additions.
For 2026, SolarPower Europe expects newly installed storage capacity to rise further to more than 50 GWh in its medium scenario. Large-scale battery storage is likely to account for almost two-thirds of European storage additions. The European battery storage market is thus increasingly shaped by large-scale projects. Alongside investments in new facilities, the marketing and optimisation of storage capacity are gaining importance as stand-alone business areas.
The development at Vattenfall shows that the business model in the battery storage market is not limited to building and operating one’s own assets. As the number of large storage projects grows, the ability to pool storage capacity of different operators, control it automatically and market it in multiple power markets is also gaining economic importance.
Source: IWR Online, 29 Oct 2026
