BW ESS and Zelos advance a 1.5 GW BESS project pipeline

BW ESS and Zelos Energy Developments today announce that they are working on advancing a 1.5 GW portfolio of utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the federal states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen-Anhalt in Northeast Germany. The projects are expected to achieve ready-to-build status in 2025-2027.

The projects are strategically located in the 50 Hertz TSO region. In the partnership, Zelos will take the lead on securing land, grid, and permits. BW ESS will lead on engineering design and construction, global procurement, securing revenue, and project financing. The projects are being developed in close collaboration with local communities and following environmental, social and governance criteria. The partnership allows for further expansion as new opportunities arise.

“Zelos is excited to partner with BW ESS in a collaboration that brings valuable experience and expertise to support our mission of realizing a substantial BESS pipeline in Germany. This partnership marks an important step as we jointly work to accelerate the energy transition and deliver impactful progress on the path toward a more sustainable energy future,” said Timo Juritsch, Managing Director, Zelos Energy Developments.

“BW ESS is delighted to partner with Zelos. We continue to be impressed with their agility and speed. The expanded footprint in Germany reinforces BW ESS’ commitment to unlocking the value of energy storage”, said Roberto Jiménez, Executive Director, BW ESS.

Germany is Europe’s largest and most liquid power market. It ranks among the top three most attractive European markets for BESS investment, alongside Italy and Great Britain. The federal government is updating its policies to support BESS including reviewing grid-related charges and permitting processes. It is also looking into the creation of a capacity market. A study by Frontier Economics states that the capacity of utility-scale BESS can generate €12 billion in added economic value. The German Solar Industry Association (BSW) projects that large-scale battery storage capacity could increase fivefold over the next two years, indicating a robust growth trajectory.

For the transaction with Zelos, Bird & Bird acted as legal advisor and Arcadis acted as technical advisor for BW ESS. Legal counsel Mr. Jochen Terpitz acted as advisor to Zelos.

BW ESS

BW ESS is a global energy storage owner-operator, moving with speed to develop and build market-leading energy storage projects across multiple countries.

Typically working with local development partners, the business is active in the UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, and Sweden. It has more than 500MWh of operating BESS projects, with over 1GWh under construction and a development pipeline of about 7GW.

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 can leverage a global industry network, as well as decades of experience in energy infrastructure investment, delivery, and operation.

Zelos Energy

Zelos Energy Developments is an energy project- and asset developer based in Berlin, Germany. Zelos develops projects with a focus on large scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) for a sustainable, responsible, and renewable future of the energy industry. Zelos leverages the agility and experience of a dedicated team of seasoned energy experts to move fast in an ever-changing industry.