Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar and Endesa have marked the start of construction of three battery energy storage projects in Spain.

The projects will add 60.16 megawatts (MW) of storage capacity and 120.34 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage. They will hybridize existing solar plants in Extremadura and Andalusia. The combined investment is €25.2 million.

The three projects are Ardila, La Vega I and La Vega II. Ardila will be built at the 44 MWp solar plants in Fregenal de la Sierra (Badajoz). La Vega I and La Vega II will be built at two solar plants in Teba (Málaga).

The systems will store part of the electricity the plants generate. As a result, they will help integrate more renewable energy into the grid. They will also make the electricity system more flexible.

These are the first storage developments under the Masdar-Endesa partnership. The partnership was established in 2024, when Masdar acquired a stake in a portfolio of Endesa’s photovoltaic assets in Spain.

Dr. Ibraheem Almansouri, Acting COO, Masdar, said: “Spain is one of Europe’s fastest-growing major economies and this growth requires secure, resilient power. These projects will help integrate more clean power into the grid and strengthen the stability of the electricity system. They demonstrate how strategic partnerships can accelerate the deployment of advanced energy technologies, strengthen grid resilience and support sustainable economic growth, and they build on the strength of our partnership with Endesa while expanding our Iberian portfolio. We look forward to continuing to invest in Spain and to supporting the country’s economic ambitions.”

All three battery energy storage systems will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. They will also use grid-forming inverters. This technology provides synthetic inertia and mimics the behavior of a conventional thermal or hydro generating unit. It also responds almost instantly to sudden changes in grid conditions. In turn, it supports the stability of the electricity system.

Ardila will provide 36.10 MW (72.20 MWh) of storage across 12 battery containers. That is enough to store the equivalent of the daily electricity consumption of around 8,100 Spanish households.

La Vega I and La Vega II will each provide 12.03 MW (24.07 MWh). Each site will have four battery containers. Together, the two sites are equivalent to the daily consumption of around 5,400 households. The three projects are expected to be operational by the end of 2027.

In total, 50 jobs will be created across the construction of the three projects. The partners have also committed to using European-origin components and services. These include inverters, auxiliary systems, communications and integration. This supports the regional energy storage value chain.

At Ardila, the partners will work with Fregenal de la Sierra Town Council. Together, they will identify local improvement projects. Part of the budget will be reserved for training.

Research and technical validation will be carried out with CIRCE and the Institute for Research in Technology (IIT) at Comillas Pontifical University. This will include on-site tests and studies of grid-forming operation.

Masdar currently has 4.1 GW of operational capacity across the Iberian Peninsula. Around 1 GW is under development. The new battery energy storage projects continue Masdar’s strategy of partnering with industry players to scale renewable energy deployment worldwide. The company targets 100 GW of global capacity by 2030.

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