BW ESS has entered the French battery storage market through the acquisition of two standalone BESS projects from Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar. The deal, completed on 29 October 2026, marks both BW ESS's entry into France and the first collaboration between the two companies.
Two four-hour sites in Pyrénées-Orientales and Calvados
The portfolio consists of two sites: Baixas in Pyrénées-Orientales and Coquainvilliers in Calvados, each sized at 100 MW / 400 MWh. Together they total 200 MW / 800 MWh at a four-hour duration — a configuration increasingly favoured in European markets where evening peaks and multi-hour price spreads drive revenue stacking.
Recurrent Energy originated and developed both projects, securing land, advancing grid connection arrangements, managing permitting and running local consultation. The sites are described as having favourable transmission grid connection conditions with limited expected constraints.
Development stays with Recurrent until ready-to-build
Recurrent Energy will continue leading development until the projects reach ready-to-build status. BW ESS will then take over construction through commercial operation and intends to hold and operate the assets over the long term.
France becomes BW ESS's seventh market
The acquisition is part of BW ESS's international expansion strategy. France becomes its seventh market after the UK, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain and Sweden. The company reports more than 540 MWh of battery storage capacity in operation and roughly 12 GWh of projects under construction or at an earlier stage, alongside a development pipeline of several gigawatts.
Flexibility for a nuclear-heavy system
BW ESS chief executive Erik Strømsø framed the entry around the changing needs of the French power system, noting that France has a strong nuclear base but a growing need for flexibility as weather-sensitive demand and an evolving generation mix create more variable system conditions.
Batteries can complement France's nuclear backbone by providing rapid-response flexibility, absorbing surplus power and making low-carbon generation available when it is most valuable.
That logic is central to the French storage case. With a generation fleet dominated by nuclear and a growing volume of variable renewables, the value of storage lies less in bulk energy shifting than in fast, controllable flexibility and in capturing surplus low-carbon output during periods of oversupply.
For the wider EU market, the transaction is a further sign that pan-European storage platforms are consolidating project pipelines developed by local and solar-origin developers, rather than building greenfield in every market themselves.
Sources: pv magazine France; Securities.io
This article was assisted by AI analysis. Please refer to the original source for official information.