PVTIME – On 21 May 2026, CATL, a global leader in power and energy storage battery manufacturing, entered into a strategic partnership with Spanish renewable energy developer Grenergy. Under the terms of the agreement, CATL will supply lithium iron phosphate battery systems totalling 1.5GWh to support two of Grenergy’s flagship energy storage projects in Spain.
A total of 252 TENER S containerised battery units will be deployed across the two schemes. The TENER S product range features a high-density design and intelligent management systems. It is engineered to improve the operational efficiency and extend the cycle life of large-scale storage assets, while its compact structure reduces the amount of land required for project sites.
The Oviedo standalone storage project will utilise 108 battery units with a capacity of 700MWh. As a benchmark asset under Grenergy’s European standalone storage platform Greenbox, the facility is scheduled for commissioning in the first half of 2027. Grenergy has finalised a 10-year Financial Tolling Agreement with an investment-grade international utility company that is rated by Moody’s. This is an innovative commercial structure for Spain’s domestic energy storage market.
The Escuderos hybrid solar-storage project, located in the Castilla-La Mancha region, will adopt 144 battery units, delivering 800MWh of storage capacity. This project represents Grenergy’s first large-scale solar and storage hybrid development in Spain and is paired with a 200MW solar plant, which is covered by a 12-year power purchase agreement with the Portuguese energy firm Galp. Construction of the supporting storage system will begin in the second half of 2026, with the facility due to commence operation in 2027. A 12-year financial tolling agreement for the battery asset will take effect in July 2028.
This collaboration builds on the long-standing partnership between the two companies. In October 2024, the parties signed a contract for the supply of a 1.25GWh battery for the Gabriela project, which is part of Chile’s Oasis de Atacama complex. Grenergy’s chief executive, David Ruiz de Andrés, indicated that the company intends to leverage its proven experience in developing solar storage projects in Chile to advance the energy transition in Europe. The Escuderos scheme is the first European replication of its mature hybrid operational model. The Chilean Oasis de Atacama platform has a planned capacity of 2GW of solar power and 11GWh of energy storage, representing a total investment of €2 billion. Meanwhile, the Central Oasis platform includes 1.1GW of solar power and 4GWh of storage, supported by €900 million of investment.
The European energy storage market has experienced explosive growth, with Chinese suppliers strengthening their regional presence. Since early 2026, Chinese enterprises have secured nearly 30GWh of European storage orders, establishing Europe as their largest overseas storage market. UBS analysis projects that regional utility-scale storage installations will reach 42GWh in 2026, representing a year-on-year increase of 109%. Heightened geopolitical uncertainty has exposed vulnerabilities in traditional energy supplies, thereby increasing the strategic importance of storage infrastructure in enhancing European energy independence and grid stability. Grenergy’s Greenbox platform has an extensive standalone storage pipeline across Europe exceeding 30GWh, covering key markets such as Poland (5GWh), Romania (7GWh), Germany (3GWh), Italy (5.8GWh), Spain (6GWh) and the United Kingdom (4GWh).
CATL is accelerating its industrial expansion across the European Union, with three manufacturing facilities under development in Germany, Hungary, and Spain. The German plant is already operational, the Hungarian site is scheduled to begin mass production in spring 2026, and construction of the Spanish factory began in November 2025. These projects have received a total investment of €13.2 billion, and are expected to have a combined production capacity of 164GWh. In 2025, the firm achieved 121GWh of energy storage battery sales, marking a year-on-year increase of 29.13% and securing its position as the global market leader for the fifth consecutive year. The newly finalised 1.5GWh Spanish order further consolidates CATL’s leading position in the global energy storage sector.
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