Encavis has announced its first utility-scale battery storage project in Italy, marking a significant step in the Hamburg-based independent power producer's strategy to build an integrated platform that combines renewable generation with storage and market-based optimisation.

The standalone facility, located in Ceprano in the Lazio region, will carry an installed capacity of around 65 MW and a storage capacity of approximately 260 MWh, with commissioning scheduled for 2028.

A New Asset Class in an Established Market

The Ceprano project represents a departure from Encavis' existing Italian footprint, which has until now been built entirely around photovoltaic generation. The company already operates solar parks in Italy with a combined installed capacity of around 420 MW, a position it describes as making it one of the country's leading independent solar power producers.

The addition of a battery energy storage system introduces a fundamentally different type of asset to that portfolio, one that stores rather than generates electricity and is designed to operate independently of any co-located generation facility.

Mario Schirru, CEO of Encavis, framed the project as both a technical milestone and a commercial opportunity. "With Ceprano, we are realising our first large-scale battery storage project in Italy and adding an important element of flexibility to our existing solar portfolio. Going forward, storage will play a central role in efficiently integrating renewable energy into the energy system and in unlocking additional value-creation potential," he said.

Acquisition from ReFeel New Energy

The project was acquired from ReFeel New Energy, an Italian developer described by Encavis as a leading player in the country's renewable energy development sector.

ReFeel New Energy is backed by Gresham House Europe, formerly known as SUSI Partners, and the ReFeel Group. No financial terms of the acquisition were disclosed in the announcement.

The transaction brings a development-stage asset into Encavis' ownership ahead of its scheduled commissioning date, following a pattern the company has used in previous solar acquisitions across Europe.

Italy's Grid Integration Challenge

Encavis cited the broader structural context of Italian and European power markets as a driver behind the investment decision. Like many European countries, Italy faces the challenge of managing a power grid that is receiving a growing share of electricity from renewable sources, which are by nature variable in their output.

Battery storage addresses this by decoupling electricity generation from consumption in time, allowing operators to charge storage systems when renewable output is high and discharge when demand or grid conditions require it.

The company stated that battery storage can also help to support grid stability, a function that becomes increasingly valuable as the share of intermittent generation in the national energy mix rises.

Italy, with its substantial and expanding renewable capacity, represents a market where these dynamics are already playing out and where the economic case for grid-scale storage is developing.

Strategic Pivot Toward an Integrated Platform

Encavis described the Ceprano project as forming part of a broader strategic evolution rather than a standalone transaction. The company has articulated a vision of becoming what it calls a next-generation independent power producer, one that integrates renewable generation, battery storage, and market-oriented optimisation into a single business model.

This positions the company differently from a traditional renewable energy owner-operator, adding a layer of active energy management and trading to its core asset ownership activities.

The shift reflects a wider trend across the European energy sector, where companies with large renewable portfolios are increasingly looking at storage and optimisation services as sources of additional revenue and as ways to increase the value extracted from existing generation assets.

Italy Remains a Core Growth Market

Despite the novelty of the battery storage move, Encavis has emphasised that Italy remains one of its most important growth and investment markets. The company's existing 420 MW solar portfolio in the country provides a substantial base on which further expansion is being built.

Earlier in 2026, Encavis secured approximately 3.7 TWh under Italy's Energy Release 2.0 programme, a government scheme designed to channel renewable energy to industrial consumers.

The allocation represented more than 16 percent of the total volume distributed under the programme and was described by the company as one of the largest individual allocations secured.

That contract, combined with the Ceprano storage project, reflects a strategy of pursuing multiple avenues of growth in Italy simultaneously, spanning both asset ownership and long-term supply agreements.

Company Profile and European Footprint

Encavis operates across 13 European countries, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, with a portfolio spanning onshore wind farms, ground-mounted solar parks, and, now, battery storage systems.

The company's total installed capacity stands at over 5 gigawatts. In addition to its own asset portfolio, Encavis offers institutional investors access to renewable energy assets, and its subsidiary Stern Energy provides technical services for photovoltaic systems on a Europe-wide basis.

The Ceprano facility is expected to reach operational status in 2028, at which point it will become the first battery storage asset in the company's Italian portfolio.

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