Vattenfall Expands Battery Storage Portfolio Beyond 1.2 GW With 254 MW German Project and Dutch Vopak Deal

Swedish utility Vattenfall has taken a final investment decision on a 254 MW battery at Brunsbüttel in Germany, the company confirmed on 26 October 2026.

The decision, paired with a recently concluded agreement with Royal Vopak in the Netherlands, has pushed the utility's total battery portfolio beyond 1.2 GW in power.

Vattenfall secures 100 MW Dutch battery capacity

The Dutch component of the growth comes in the form of a tolling agreement with Royal Vopak that secures Vattenfall access to 100 MW of battery capacity near Meeden in the province of Groningen.

The arrangement covers a portion of a planned battery energy storage system at that location, which Vattenfall says is aimed at further integrating renewable energy into the Dutch power system. The company frames both moves against a backdrop of sharply rising demand for flexibility across Europe's power markets.

Portfolio spans Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom

Figures published by Vattenfall show the battery fleet is spread across four markets.

Germany is the largest, with 55 MW operational and 656 MW in the pipeline, giving a national total of 711 MW. The Netherlands follows with 65 MW in operation and 400 MW in the pipeline, for 465 MW. Sweden contributes 98 MW, all of it operational, while the United Kingdom accounts for 20 MW, also fully operational.

Taken together, Vattenfall reports 238 MW of operational capacity and 1,056 MW under development in its pipeline, a combined total of 1,294 MW.

To put the scale of the fleet in perspective, Vattenfall calculates that 1.2 GW of battery output could simultaneously power the charging of more than 100,000 electric vehicles at 11 kW, approximately 109,000 EVs, based on dividing 1,200 MW by 11 kW.

The balancing role of large-scale storage

According to Vattenfall's own description of the technology's function, batteries store electricity when supply is plentiful and release it back into the system when demand rises. This balancing function helps match consumption with generation and makes better use of grid infrastructure that already exists.

Drawing on stored electricity during periods of high demand, the company notes, can reduce reliance on more expensive back-up generation and relieve the pressure to expand grid capacity that would otherwise sit idle outside short windows of peak consumption.

Executives point to flexibility as the core of the strategy

Vattenfall's leadership tied the portfolio expansion directly to the changing structure of the European power market. Sjur Jensen, Head of Business Area Markets, said battery storage helps build a more flexible, reliable, and affordable energy system.

He described how the company combines its own assets with partnerships to market and optimise battery capacity for others, creating value for customers and partners while delivering flexibility where the system needs it most.

Claus Wattendrup, Head of Solar and Batteries, argued that the new energy landscape requires more than renewable generation alone. Flexibility, he said, is what the system needs, and large-scale battery storage is key to providing it.

Investing in the company's own large-scale batteries, he added, gives Vattenfall the flexibility to thrive in a changing power market and to play a lasting role in the transition away from fossil fuels.

Recent months of battery activity beyond the portfolio

The Vopak agreement itself dates to 13 October 2026, when Vattenfall announced it had signed the tolling deal covering part of the planned storage system near Meeden in Groningen. The company's battery operations have also reached into customer-facing applications.

In August 2026, Vattenfall batteries supplied fossil-free electricity to the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, one of the largest music festivals in Northern Europe.

Alongside the portfolio announcement, Vattenfall issued press materials including portraits of Jensen, Senior Vice President of Business Area Markets, and Wattendrup, Head of Solar and Batteries. Additional information is available through the company's Press Office.