Four-Hour Gigawatt-Class Battery Storage: ADS-TEC Energy Expects Building Permit for 4 GWh Project
Nürtingen – ADS-TEC Energy expects to receive the building permit shortly for one of the largest battery storage projects planned in Europe. The facility in Markgröningen, in the Ludwigsburg district of Baden-Württemberg, is designed to have a power capacity of 1 GW and a storage capacity of 4 GWh.
Four Hours of Duration: 4 GWh Project Reaches Power Plant Scale
The battery storage power plant planned by ADS-TEC at the Pulverdingen substation is designed to have a power capacity of 1,000 MW and a storage capacity of 4,000 MWh. Its power capacity is therefore of the same order of magnitude as that of a conventional power plant. The storage system is designed to deliver this power for around four hours. Compared with the initial project announcement in September 2025, ADS-TEC Energy has doubled the planned storage capacity from around 2 GWh to 4 GWh. The planned power capacity of 1 GW remained unchanged.
A comparison with Germany’s installed storage base illustrates the scale of the project. According to the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), a total of 1,292 battery storage systems connected at medium-voltage level or higher, with a net nominal power capacity of around 3.6 GW and a storage capacity of about 6 GWh, were in operation in August 2026. The planned storage capacity in Markgröningen therefore corresponds arithmetically to roughly two-thirds of the storage capacity recorded in August.
The project also ranks in the top tier of announced large-scale storage projects in Europe. Comparable projects include the BW ESS facility in Klostermansfeld with up to 5.7 GWh and the LEAG and Fluence project in Jänschwalde with 4 GWh. Both are already under construction, while the building permit for Markgröningen is still pending.
According to ADS-TEC Energy, the responsible permitting authority has confirmed that all required application documents are fully available. The permitting procedure under immission control and building law is expected to be completed shortly. Grid connection is planned for 2029.
In-House Battery Management Technology and European Industrial Partners
According to ADS-TEC Energy, German and European industrial companies stand ready to supply the batteries, transformers, switchgear and extra-high-voltage technology.
The battery management system, including electronics and software, comes from the company’s own development. ADS-TEC Energy intends to control key functions of battery monitoring and control itself, as well as access to operating data and safety-relevant software. The company has been developing such systems for more than 15 years. ADS-TEC Energy has so far not named specific suppliers or provided information on the origin of the battery cells or the planned battery technology.
Sale of Majority Stake Planned to Finance Large-Scale Project
ADS-TEC Energy is currently in talks with investors and strategic partners about the planned sale of a majority stake in the project company. According to the company, the building permit is a key prerequisite for concluding the financing and partnership agreements.
The company intends to remain involved in the long term as a project partner and to provide technical services. A partner from the European energy sector is preferred; according to ADS-TEC, talks are also under way with international infrastructure investors.
The planned majority sale fits into the strategic realignment of ADS-TEC Energy launched in 2025. The company aims to expand its business in large-scale battery storage projects and long-term technical services.
According to ADS-TEC Energy, battery storage projects of this size typically require investments ranging from the upper three-digit million euro range to around EUR 1 billion.
Battery Storage: China Dominates Cell Production for Stationary Storage
As the market for large-scale stationary storage grows, the origin of battery technology is also becoming more important. Worldwide, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries dominate this market. According to the IEA, they were used in more than 90 percent of newly installed stationary battery storage systems in 2025.
According to the IEA, the battery cells required for these systems come almost exclusively from China. The dependence extends beyond cell production, however: the IEA says that for nearly all grid batteries deployed worldwide, at least one stage of the supply chain depends on China.
This leaves the European battery industry in a difficult competitive position. In its 2025 battery technology report, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) points to limited European supply of raw materials and battery materials, as well as higher production costs. European cell production for stationary storage in particular remains underdeveloped so far.
Source: IWR Online, 02 Nov 2026
