BNZ Starts Building 216 MWh of Battery Storage at Rinaldone and Camposcala Solar Plants

Independent power producer BNZ has broken ground on battery energy storage systems at two operating solar plants in the Lazio region of Italy, a move that will add more than 216 MWh of combined storage capacity to the company's existing photovoltaic infrastructure.

The projects, located at the Rinaldone and Camposcala sites, are being developed as hybrid additions to plants that BNZ already operates. The company has set a target of bringing both facilities online before the close of 2026, with construction now underway at each site.

Technical layout of the two installations

Each of the two battery systems is designed to deliver a power capacity of 27 MW, paired with 108 MWh of energy storage. The batteries offer a four-hour discharge duration, meaning they can release stored electricity at full power for four consecutive hours.

The storage systems will be attached to two distinct photovoltaic assets. Rinaldone carries a capacity of 45 MWp, while Camposcala stands at 53 MWp. Together, the two battery installations account for the more than 216 MWh of additional storage that BNZ says it is adding in the region.

The logic behind the configuration, according to the company, is straightforward: solar energy generated during periods of peak production will be captured in the batteries rather than being lost, then discharged into the grid when demand is at its highest. BNZ characterises this pairing of generation and storage as the technological hybridisation of its existing assets.

Who is building what

Delivery responsibilities have been split between two contractors. Grupotec is carrying out the construction works at Rinaldone, while Elecnor is responsible for the battery installation at Camposcala. In the development and construction phases, BNZ says it has given priority to hiring local contractors and local resources, an approach the company links directly to economic activity and job creation in the surrounding area.

Beyond employment, BNZ points to its collaboration with local initiatives such as La Fiera Maremma d'Amare in Montalto di Castro and Viterbo Clean Up as part of its engagement with the communities hosting the projects.

What the batteries are expected to do for the grid

BNZ frames the deployment in terms of system benefits rather than purely commercial ones. The batteries are described as a backup mechanism that balances electricity supply and demand in real time, a function the company says will substantially boost the flexibility and resilience of the local power grid.

Among the specific outcomes the company anticipates are a more efficient integration of renewable generation, a reduction in the curtailment of clean energy, and greater overall stability across the power system. On the environmental side, the projects are intended to squeeze more value from solar generation while displacing output from more carbon-intensive technologies. Each of the two facilities is estimated to prevent between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions on an annual basis.

Environmental measures extend to vegetation management. In keeping with BNZ's policies on environmental conservation and biodiversity, the company has chosen natural vegetation control at the plants, recently deploying a flock of 350 sheep accompanied by three sheepdogs to keep the grounds in check.

Management commentary

Luis Selva, chief executive of BNZ, characterised the start of construction as a decisive step in the company's consolidation as a fully-fledged energy operator in Italy. "Hybridising our assets with BESS technology is a cornerstone of our multi-technology strategy, as it allows us not only to maximize the efficiency of the clean energy we generate, but also to provide the firmness and flexibility that the electricity grid needs," Selva said. He added: "With these projects, we reaffirm our commitment to the energy transition, security of supply, and the delivery of tangible value to local communities."

Where the projects sit in BNZ's Italian pipeline

The Lazio work is one element of a larger storage programme in Italy. BNZ plans to install 350 MW of storage capacity across a portfolio of eight strategic projects, with the portfolio concentrated in areas of high solar irradiance. That Italian programme in turn sits within a broader European footprint. Across the continent, BNZ holds a portfolio exceeding 2.7 GW, of which 850 MW corresponds to battery storage technology.

The company positions itself as what it calls a Next-Generation IPP, a model it describes as going beyond traditional generation by embedding asset hybridisation, digitalisation and infrastructure optimisation into its core strategy, with the stated aims of maximising system efficiency and addressing the challenges of the energy transition. The Lazio announcement, dated 5 November 2026, follows a string of recent developments for the company. In July 2026, BNZ announced a partnership with Sungrow to deploy 240 MWh of battery storage across its Viterbo projects in Italy.

Before that, in September 2026, the company confirmed full-capacity operation at its Gemunde photovoltaic plant in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal. Taken together, the Rinaldone and Camposcala builds represent the latest concrete step in BNZ's push to pair storage with its generating assets in Italy, a country where the company is concentrating much of its multi-technology roll-out.