Vopak Acquires 300-MW Dutch Battery Project, Boosting Grid Flexibility Drive

• BayWa r.e. has sold its ready-to-build 300-MW battery storage project in the Netherlands to Vopak, giving the tank-storage giant a major foothold in Europe’s fast-growing energy-storage market.

BayWa r.e. has closed the sale of the Netherlands’ largest planned battery‐energy-storage system, handing the fully permitted, ready-to-build project to Dutch tank-storage heavyweight Vopak. Developed by BayWa’s subsidiary GroenLeven, the 300-MW facility will plug directly into transmission operator TenneT’s high-voltage grid, offering a huge injection of flexibility at a time when intermittent wind and solar are reshaping power flows across the country.

The deal, announced on Tuesday, represents BayWa r.e.’s biggest storage exit to date in Europe. “This transaction underlines our leading role in developing utility-scale storage,” said Benjamin Casteleyn, chief commercial officer at GroenLeven. “Batteries are indispensable for a future-proof energy system, and bringing this project to shovel-ready status is a milestone we’re proud of.”

For Vopak—the Rotterdam-based logistics group best known for storing oil, gas and chemicals—the acquisition is a strategic pivot into electricity. The company will now take the project through procurement and construction, opting for lithium-ion technology capable of rapid charge–discharge cycles. Once operational, the installation will absorb surplus renewable power, release it during evening peaks, and provide frequency-control services that help keep the grid within its narrow 50-hertz band.

BayWa r.e.’s chief operating officer Daniel Gäfke said the divestment allows the firm to recycle capital into additional storage ventures across Europe. “We’ve shown we can deliver complex, grid-connected batteries. The expertise gained here will feed straight into our next wave of projects across the Netherlands and further afield,” he noted.

Industry analysts expect the Dutch battery market to accelerate sharply this decade as offshore wind additions and solar rooftop booms intensify congestion on TenneT’s network. A recent study by the Dutch Climate and Energy Outlook suggests at least five gigawatts of storage will be needed by 2030 to maintain stability and curb curtailment.

With land secured, permits in hand, and a rare 300-MW grid slot already allocated, the project gives Vopak a running start. Construction is slated to begin early next year, and commercial operations could follow in 2027—just as a new tranche of North Sea wind farms begins feeding into the same grid. For both buyer and seller, the transaction underscores a broader shift: large-scale batteries are no longer an optional add-on but a cornerstone of Europe’s low-carbon electricity system.