Italian grid company Terna fields 100 GW+ requests for MACSE energy storage tender

Italian electricity TSO Terna has received more than 100 GW of requests to participate in the energy storage auction it is planning before summer 2025.

The first phase of the MACSE tender is expected to be the biggest battery procurement exercise held in Europe by that point.

Francesco Del Pizzo, head of network development and dispatching strategies at Terna, announced the huge level of interest from battery developers on Dec. 2, 2024, during the first day of the Italia Solare Forum trade event, in Rome.

Del Pizzo said the first MACSE auction would feature capacity requirements by geographical zones and promised to publish all the information held by Terna about the tender, during 2024.

At the show, Del Pizzo said Terna expects Italy will have installed around 7.5 GW of renewables plants during 2024, with 8 GW or 9 GW expected in 2025. The manager said a flood of utility-scale sites is on the way with 5.5 GW authorized and set to take shape in 2025.

That could add up to 70 TWh to 80 TWh less electricity generated from gas annually in the 2030 to 2035 period, Del Pizzo added.

The conventional grid capacity market auction for 2028 is expected to be held after summer 2025, the Terna representative said.

From pv magazine Italia.