Vattenfall, GIGA Storage ink tolling deal for Dutch battery project

• Vattenfall signed a storage tolling agreement with GIGA Storage for Project Leopard in the Netherlands, enhancing flexibility for high-PV grids.

Vattenfall and GIGA Storage have finalized a battery energy storage tolling agreement for Project Leopard in the north of the Netherlands—an arrangement where Vattenfall pays for the right to dispatch the battery while GIGA owns and operates it. Tolling structures are gaining ground in Europe, letting utilities secure flexibility without tying up as much capex, and giving storage owners long-term revenue certainty to raise debt.

In a market flush with daytime solar, batteries monetize price spreads and provide fast frequency response. Grid-forming inverters and sophisticated EMS software now allow fleets to deliver synthetic inertia and voltage support, increasing system resilience as conventional generators retire. Locational value matters: siting at constrained nodes can relieve congestion and lift returns.

For policymakers, deals like Leopard’s tolling underline the need for clear ancillary markets and fair grid fees so storage can compete on services, not just arbitrage. For developers, standardized contracts reduce transaction friction and speed replication.

The headline is a contract; the substance is a playbook for scaling flexibility alongside Europe’s PV boom.