On November 7, 2025, German energy giant LEAG Clean Power and American energy storage technology leader Fluence Energy jointly announced the launch of the "GigaBattery J ä nschwalde 1000" large-scale energy storage project at the Lusatia Energy Base in eastern Germany. This project has set a new record for the scale of energy storage projects in Europe with an installed capacity of 1GW and an energy storage capacity of 4GWh. It is expected to start construction after approval in the second quarter of 2026, and will be officially connected to the grid for operation from the end of 2027 to the beginning of 2028, injecting heavyweight momentum into Germany's energy transformation and the stability of the European power grid.

As a benchmark project in the field of energy storage in Europe, the project site selection is of great strategic significance - it will be located on a site of about 10 hectares southeast of the J ä nschwalde coal-fired power plant, which was once the core area of traditional energy in Germany and is now revitalized through green transformation. The project design covers a four hour energy storage cycle and can meet the continuous four hour electricity demand of 1.6 million households when operating at full load, equivalent to providing emergency power guarantee for half of the households in Berlin. Its scale far exceeds the current total installed capacity of large-scale battery energy storage in Germany, which is 3.2 GWh, highlighting the key supporting role of the project in regional energy supply.

On a technical level, the project adopts Fluence's latest generation Smartstack ™ The energy storage platform is equipped with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology, and with innovative AC block (AC module) integrated design, the energy density is increased by about 30% compared to traditional AC solutions, achieving ultra large capacity storage in limited space. Siemens Energy will provide 380 kV ultra-high voltage grid connection switchgear for the project, ensuring efficient coordination between the energy storage system and the European backbone grid. It is worth noting that based on Fluence's past cooperation model and technical adaptability analysis, CATL is highly likely to become the core battery supplier for the project. Its local factory in Thuringia, Germany will provide geographical and supply chain advantages for project delivery, and the high-capacity LFP batteries produced by the factory are highly compatible with the technical specifications of the Smartstack platform.

The strategic value of the project far exceeds that of a single energy storage facility itself. It is a core component of LEAG Group's "Gigawatt Factory" strategy, which aims to fully transform the Lusatia former mining area into a green energy hub. In the future, it will integrate more than 2GW of renewable energy installed capacity, 3GWh of energy storage capacity, and 2GW of hydrogen compatible gas-fired power stations. At present, the construction of a 133MW solar park in the same region has started, and the environmental permit application for a 122MW wind power project has also been submitted. The energy storage project will complement these new energy facilities, solve the problem of volatility in wind and photovoltaic power, and achieve a dynamic balance between energy production and consumption.

From the perspective of the overall energy transition in Europe, this project coincides with a critical juncture. Data shows that in 2024, the newly installed capacity of battery energy storage in Europe will reach 21.9GWh, with a cumulative capacity exceeding 61.1GWh. However, large-scale grid level energy storage is still a shortcoming. With the EU incorporating energy storage into its energy strategy core, major markets such as Germany, Italy, and the UK are accelerating the layout of large-scale energy storage projects. The implementation of the "GigaBattery J ä nschwalde 1000" will not only provide diversified services such as peak shaving, frequency regulation, and emergency backup for the German power grid, but also connect the "last mile" of renewable energy consumption, helping Germany achieve its goal of increasing the proportion of renewable energy. It is worth mentioning that the construction period of the project is only about 2 years, much faster than the construction period of traditional pumped storage power stations, setting a model for efficient implementation of large-scale energy storage projects in Europe.

The project stakeholders stated that the energy storage system will deeply participate in European electricity market transactions in the future, achieving maximum energy value through the "low valley charging, high peak discharging" mode, while enjoying the policy dividend of Germany's energy storage projects being put into operation before 2029 without 20-year grid fees. As the European energy storage market accelerates towards large-scale development, this milestone project will promote the upgrading of regional energy storage technology standards, attract more industrial chain resources to gather, and provide a "European solution" for global energy transformation.Editor/Bian Wenjun