RWE starts building 262.5 MWh Ragusa battery in Sicily

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42 containers and four-hour duration
Evening peak cover for 21,000 households
3 GW of batteries under construction worldwide

RWE has started construction of its first battery energy storage system (BESS) in Italy, the Ragusa project in Sicily. According to the company’s announcement of 10 November 2026, the 62.5 MW system will be able to deliver its maximum output for four hours, giving it a nominal storage capacity of 262.5 MWh. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2027.

42 containers and four-hour duration

The Ragusa facility will use 42 containers of lithium-ion batteries. RWE says the system will provide balancing energy to stabilise the grid and includes technology for grid-forming services such as instantaneous reserve (inertia). The company will also build the associated grid infrastructure, including a high-voltage transformer to connect the battery to the 150 kV grid.

Evening peak cover for 21,000 households

Sopna Sury, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, said the start of construction marks an important milestone. According to Sury, the battery will be able to cover the evening peak demand of about 21,000 households for four hours, and RWE hopes to add more battery storage in Italy soon alongside wind and solar.

3 GW of batteries under construction worldwide

RWE has battery storage projects in development, construction and operation across the US, Europe and Australia. Its operating fleet totals about 1.7 GW globally, with a further 3 GW under construction. In Italy, RWE manages around 670 MW of installed capacity across 18 onshore wind farms, one photovoltaic plant and three agrivoltaic plants, and has around 200 MW of wind and solar capacity under construction.