en.Wedoany.com Reported - Zelestra and EnBW have signed a long-term tolling agreement for a planned battery storage project in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, with Zelestra providing 300MW of storage capacity.

The battery storage project has a total capacity of approximately 500MW, with four hours of storage, and is expected to provide over 1.2 GWh of flexible regulation capacity to the Italian grid. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with full commercial operation expected in 2028.

Under the terms of the agreement, Zelestra will be responsible for building the battery energy storage system, while EnBW will offtake 300MW of the storage capacity. This arrangement aims to support grid flexibility needs as the share of renewable energy in Italy's electricity market continues to grow.

Zelestra stated that with the signing of this agreement, its 2GWh battery storage project in Emilia-Romagna is now fully secured. The project site is located in an area with high industrial electricity consumption and growing renewable energy generation, creating an increasingly urgent need for grid flexibility.

Eliano Russo, CEO of Zelestra Italy, said that the Italian grid requires flexible capacity and needs it at scale. This agreement with EnBW represents the long-term partnership needed to realize large-scale storage assets. Once operational, the company's Emilia-Romagna project will be one of the most impactful in Europe. Zelestra's experience in developing battery storage projects in Spain, Germany, and Italy, combined with EnBW's presence and expertise in major European power markets, helps streamline the construction and delivery of large-scale projects. By working with customers operating across multiple markets, the company can accelerate the deployment of large-scale flexible capacity, support renewable energy grid integration, strengthen supply security, and benefit the entire European energy market.

Italy remains a key market for Zelestra, which aims to double its 1.4GW solar and battery storage project pipeline within the year. In December 2025, Zelestra also secured contracts for nine projects in Italy's FER X auction, enabling the construction of up to 168MW of new solar capacity. Last month, the company signed a new power purchase agreement with Meta for the 180MW DC Palmera Solar project in Freestone County, Texas, USA.