CATL-backed CNTE brings Czech Republic’s largest battery online

The Czech Republic’s largest completed BESS project is now online, serving the European frequency regulation market. Located on a former mining wasteland, the 37.95 MW/41.7 MWh Modlany BESS features 11 liquid-cooled, 20-foot energy storage containers supplied by CNTE.

CNTE is invested by Chinese battery giant CATL, and its STAR T-285 containers supplied to the Modlany project use CATL’s lithium-ion phosphate cells. Each container is rated at 3.45 MW/3.793 MWh and supports 1P charging and discharging and is suitable for one-to-four-hour systems, according to CNTE.

The Modlany project, which also includes 42.7 MW of solar, is connected to a high-voltage substation and provides grid balancing and fast-response frequency regulation services. The battery can store excess solar power and can rapidly charge or discharge depending on grid requirements, helping to balance electricity demand and fluctuations in solar generation throughout the Czech electricity system as it adds more renewables.

Modlany’s owners Katemo Group state on their website that the planned storage capacity is “up to 130 MWh”. The Czech engineering company is working with CATL and CNTE to bring BESS to the Czech and Slovak markets and it has kitted its Modlany battery out with its own energy management software designed to optimize performance and adhere to cybersecurity standards.

The future of the Czech Republic’s energy storage market will be driven by utility-scale investments and favorable regulations, according to analysis by Aurora Energy Research from November 2025. The agency forecasted the country’s total battery storage capacity to hit 6 GWh by the end of the decade. In March 2025, the European Union approved an aid package for 1.5 GWh of storage capacity in the Czech Republic.

Other battery players besides CNTE are watching the growing market closely. China’s AlphaESS signed agreements in December 2025 to deliver a combined 320 MWh of BESS across two sites in the Czech Republic, which when completed will eclipse Modlany’s capacity.

Headquartered in Fujian Province, China, CNTE is active in the C&I and residential segments as well as smart electric vehicle charging. In the utility-scale market, it has projects in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, and China. It is also present in South Africa, Uganda and other European markets through its C&I activities.