ACL Energy and BW ESS have announced a significant expansion of their joint project development pipeline for stand-alone, utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Italy. Building on their initial partnership established in February 2024 – which included three projects totalling 0.4 GW – the two companies now commit to co-developing an additional eleven projects with a substantial 2.5 GW of capacity.

This expansion brings the total development pipeline managed by the BW ESS and ACL Energy partnership to 14 projects, representing 2.9 GW of capacity across Italy’s North and South electricity zones. All projects have secured land and grid access and are advancing towards obtaining permits. Notably, seven of these projects totalling over 1 GW are already undergoing review by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE). Northern projects will target participation in the capacity market scheme, while Southern projects aim to bid in the Mechanism for Procuring Electricity Storage Capacity (MACSE).

The partnership’s growth aligns with Italy’s accelerating renewable energy expansion, and thus need for energy storage. According to Terna , the Italian transmission system operator, the country added 2.9 GW of wind and solar capacity in 2022, 5.7 GW in 2023, and another 5.4 GW in the first nine months of 2024. The scale of BW ESS and ACL Energy’s collaboration underscores their shared belief in the critical role of BESS in Italy’s transition to a sustainable energy future.

Roberto Jiménez, Executive Director of BW ESS, stated: “Deepening our partnership with ACL Energy allows us to significantly scale our development activities in Italy. We believe our shared pipeline represents one of the largest among non-utility players in the Italian BESS market. We’re excited to contribute to the country’s energy transition by bringing substantial battery storage capacity online.”

Nicola Locascio, Managing Partner of ACL Energy, added: “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with a global leader like BW ESS, whose expertise in energy storage is invaluable. This collaboration is a cornerstone of our medium- and long-term strategy, reinforcing ACL Energy’s ambition to lead in Italy’s rapidly growing energy storage sector.”

ACL Energy was advised by the law firm Eversheds Sutherland and Studio Rigamonti.  BW ESS was advised by the law firm Bird & Bird,  with technical advisory support from Kiwa Moroni.

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About ACL Energy
ACL Energy is an independent energy infrastructure developer focused on utility-scale battery energy storage projects in Italy. The company is developing a sizeable and diversified pipeline totalling around 5GW capacity. Founded by Lorenzo Avello, Nicola Locascio, Saverio Calabretta and 3E Ingegneria, ACL Energy benefits from a solid national and international experience in renewable energy and storage projects.

About BW ESS
BW ESS is a dedicated energy storage business with a globally diversified project portfolio comprising over 400 MWh under construction and over 1GW of ready to build projects. Through its network of developer investments and partnerships, it is further supporting the advancement of pipelines. The company combines the benefits of scale and centralisation at a platform level, with local development partners, suppliers, contractors and financial institutions, to deliver market leading BESS projects. BW ESS is a part of BW Group, a global energy and maritime infrastructure company with a growing portfolio of clean energy investments, including batteries, solar, offshore wind and biogas.