Ore Energy brings first grid-connected iron-air battery online in the Netherlands
Dutch startup Ore Energy has connected its iron-air battery to the grid in Delft, the Netherlands. The company announced the system is the first of its kind to be fully operational and grid-connected in the world, while also being the first fully-built in the European Union.
The pilot project is also the first long duration energy storage system to connected and installed within the European Union, according to the company. The system is located at The Green Village, a testing site at The Delft University of Technology.
The technology uses iron, air, and water to store energy for durations of up to 100 hours. It charges by using electricity to convert iron oxides into metallic iron. When discharging, the iron reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide, or rust, which then releases energy.
While Ore Energy did not disclose exact figures, the company told ESS News the pilot’s capacity is under 1 MWh and that the “goal of this pilot is functional validation, not volume”. The auxiliary systems are designed to support a full 4.2 MWh containerized system, which the company plans for future commercial deployments. Exact power output was also not mentioned for the initial testing.
The pilot has been operating since mid-May 2025 and will continue testing for at least six to twelve months. Ore Energy told ESS News it is evaluating the battery on three main points: its cycle performance over repeated multi-day charges, its integration and interaction with the local grid, and its resilience to real-world environmental conditions.
“This achievement is proof that Europe can lead the world in energy innovation and energy resilience. We’ve shown that breakthrough solutions like iron-air can move from lab to grid in just two years and can be built entirely with a European supply chain,” Aytaç Yilmaz, co-founder and CEO at Ore Energy, said in a statement. “Long-duration storage like ours is what makes renewable power reliable, affordable, and sovereign. And now it’s ready.”
The project joins a growing field of long duration energy storage pilots across Europe exploring alternatives to lithium-ion. In the UK, Highview Power has been developing liquid air energy storage projects, including a 50 MW / 300 MWh facility planned for construction, while Form Energy in the US has raised $1.2 billion in funding to scale its 100-hour iron-air battery system.
Ore Energy has raised close to $23 million from seed funding and subsidies and grants, and in a video, the company said it had 40 employees working to commercialize the technology.
“Connecting the world’s first grid-ready iron-air system here in Delft shows what’s possible when research, regulation, and industry align,” Lidewij van Trigt, Energy Transition Project Manager at The Green Village, said. “We’re proud to provide a proving ground for technologies that will shape the future of Europe’s energy system.”
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