BESS deployment in Italy - key considerations

This week Eliano Russo, CEO Italy, and Sofia Albini, Chief Legal Officer Italy, took key roles in the discussions at the RENMAD - Energy Events Storage 2026 Italia event, which took a deep-dive into the future of energy storage in Italy.

During the discussions some key themes shaping the BESS market emerged:

▪️ Regulatory visibility is critical

The main barrier today is not the availability of capital, but the lack of long-term clarity. With a ready-to-build pipeline and significant investments already mobilized, the market is only waiting for a stable and predictable framework to accelerate.

▪️ BESS = strategically important infrastructure

Even with short-term regulatory adjustments, storage is essential to manage renewable production, stabilize prices, and enhance grid reliability. The real risk is a slowdown in investments.

▪️ Bankability is the next bottleneck

Projects still face challenges due to revenue volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and limited market liquidity. Stronger visibility on mechanisms like hashtag#MACSE and hashtag#CapacityMarket is key to unlocking financing.

▪️ Storage is becoming a system necessity

As renewable penetration increases, storage is shifting from an optional asset to a core component of the energy system, critical to reducing price volatility and dependence on gas.

▪️ Clear roadmap needed for market maturity

A structured, multi-year auction calendar and coherent volumes aligned with national targets are essential to scale up deployment and reach ~10 GW/year of new capacity by 2030.

Across the event, it was clear that there is wide agreement on the view that energy storage is a fundamental part of the solution for a more stable, resilient, and decarbonized energy system.