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Ukraine ranks fourth in Europe for new battery storage capacity, behind Germany, the UK and Italy
28/8/2026
News
Ukraine surged to become Europe’s fourth-largest battery storage market in 2025, installing 2.9GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS) as it strengthened its war-damaged energy network, according to SolarPower Europe’s latest sector analysis. Across Europe, installations reached a record 36GWh, led by Germany, the UK and Italy, with utility-scale projects supplying more than half of the new capacity for the first time.
Small batteries purchased by Ukrainian households and businesses to keep electricity flowing during blackouts drove a fivefold increase in the country’s storage deployment last year, according to the trade association’s European battery market outlook 2026–2030 report, with distributed systems accounting for more than 60% of the capacity added.
Grid-scale storage made up almost a third of the Ukrainian additions. This included a 200MW/400MWh portfolio developed by DTEK and Fluence across six undisclosed sites to help stabilise the country’s power supply.
Meanwhile, Europe set a battery storage installation record for the 12th year running, with the market growing by 48%. Utility-scale installations rose from 9.7GWh in 2024 to 19GWh, making them the largest segment of the market for the first time.
The ravages of war
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have damaged or destroyed up to half of the country’s generating capacity, according to the report. This has led to repeated outages that have created demand for batteries that can keep essential equipment running when grid power is unavailable.
SolarPower Europe’s figures include portable power stations with capacities as low as 0.6kWh, alongside installed household and business systems that typically average between 3kWh and 5kWh. Ukraine’s 2.9GWh total includes storage used directly by consumers as well as batteries connected to the electricity network.
Since 2024, battery systems have not required construction permits and can be installed on land designated for other uses. Projects of up to 5MW no longer need an energy storage licence.
Grid-scale development is also gathering pace. DTEK and Fluence brought six battery systems ranging from 20MW to 50MW online in September 2025. The portfolio was completed in less than six months, with Fluence commissioning the systems remotely because its staff could not safely travel to the sites.
Top three markets
Overall, Germany led the European market in 2025 with 6.6GWh of new battery capacity, 2% more than the previous year.
Among the country’s new grid-scale batteries is a 103.5MW/238MWh system at Bollingstedt in Schleswig-Holstein. Developed by Eco Stor, it has been operating since June 2025 and is among the country’s largest. Swiss energy company Alpiq announced in August 2026 that it was acquiring the facility, although Eco Stor will continue to run it.
An even larger Eco Stor project is under construction at Förderstedt in Saxony-Anhalt. The 300MW/718MWh battery is being developed in three blocks, with the first 100MW expected to come online in November 2026. Full operation is planned for 2027. Kraftwerke will manage how the entire battery is traded under a five-year agreement. Eco Stor will receive predictable payments for 80% of its capacity, while returns from the remaining 20% will vary with market prices.
The UK was Europe’s second-largest market for new battery storage in 2025, adding 5.2GWh, 64% more than in 2024. By the end of the year, almost 15GWh of grid-scale capacity was operating across the country, the largest fleet in Europe, according to SolarPower Europe.
That fleet grew again last month, when Coalburn 1 began commercial operation in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners describes the 500MW/1GWh two-hour system as Europe’s largest operational battery.
Coalburn 1 is the first of three large Scottish projects being developed by the company, with Coalburn 2 and Devilla set to take combined capacity to 1.5GW/3GWh.
Italy remained Europe’s third-largest market for new battery storage in 2025 despite installations falling by 18% to 5GWh. The slowdown was biggest in the residential market, where additions fell by a third. Utility-scale projects contributed 3.1GWh, 11% less than in 2024.
Meanwhile, a new procurement scheme is expected to support the next wave of grid-scale development. The first auction under Italy’s Electricity Storage Capacity Procurement Mechanism (MACSE) awarded all 10GWh of capacity on offer. Successful projects will receive 15-year tolling contracts and are due to begin operating in 2028.
SolarPower Europe expects annual battery installations across the continent to reach 52GWh in 2026 as more large projects enter operation.
Europe’s first battery co-located with offshore wind
Arenko will manage a grid-scale battery being built at the onshore substation for the UK’s Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm. It will share the wind farm’s transmission assets and grid connection, allowing the infrastructure to be used more fully. Arenko describes it as Europe’s first battery co-located with offshore wind.
Known as Iceni, the 300MW/600MWh battery project is owned by Ørsted, which holds a 50% stake in Hornsea 3. It is due online in 1Q2027. Nimbus will control charging and discharging and manage how the project’s capacity is traded across electricity markets.
