Portugal, Italy and Spain: three European moves in storage

Strategic Energy brings together, based on Energía Estratégica, three European storage moves. Portugal will auction 1,050 MVA of grid access, 750 of them for standalone batteries. Italy opened its 21 December capacity auction, with delivery in 2028, and, according to the post, cut the capacity recognised for four-hour batteries by up to 47.5% in some regions. Spain approved its capacity market.

Order TED/966/2026, published in the BOE on 17/9/2026, provides contracts of up to 15 years for new investment and 12 months for existing plants, paid per firm MW, with penalties for failed tests reaching one year of remuneration plus 20%, according to Jones Day.

In all three cases, capacity revenue pays for firm power, derived from installed power through regulator-set coefficients. When the coefficient falls, the same battery is worth less at auction.

For storage developers, a long contract is worth more when the coefficient is predictable. Grid access and accreditation rules now weigh as much as price.