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Belgian grid operator Elia awarded 1GW of battery energy storage across two capacity auctions for delivery in 2028–29 and 2030–31. Germany’s first capacity market auction selected 5.16GW of capacity across 11 projects, which the report says appear to be legacy generation, mainly gas.
Belgium’s Elia awarded 1GW of battery energy storage across two capacity market auctions, while Germany’s first auction selected 5.16GW across 11 projects that appear to be legacy generation, mainly gas, according to results reported by Energy-Storage.News. The contrasting outcomes show how differently the two countries’ capacity mechanisms are currently rewarding battery storage.
For delivery in 2028–29, Elia’s Y-2 auction procured 1.6GW of capacity, including 0.5GW of batteries. The auction cost was about €34 million, with a weighted average price of €21,643 per megawatt per year, Elia said. For delivery in 2030–31, the Y-4 auction procured 0.8GW, again including 0.5GW of batteries. Its cost was about €14 million, at a weighted average price of €18,143/MW/year.
Together, the two Belgian auctions procured 2.4GW of capacity, of which 1GW was battery storage, a little over 38% of the total. Elia procured no new capacity for 2027–28 in its Y-1 auction, saying capacity awarded in earlier auctions was sufficient.
Germany’s first capacity market auction sought 4.5GW but awarded 5.16GW across 11 projects, according to results published by the Bundesnetzagentur, the country’s energy regulator. Energy-Storage.News reported that the selected units appear to be existing generation, mainly gas, with nearly all operated by RWE and LEAG. The average volume-weighted price was €155,296/MW/year, below the regulator’s stated maximum of €244,000/MW/year.
Different Routes to Capacity
The results matter because capacity markets pay resources to be available when needed, and their auction rules influence which technologies can compete for those payments. In Belgium, batteries secured about 38% of the capacity awarded in the two auctions. Germany’s first auction, by contrast, selected projects reported to be mainly existing gas units. That difference offers an early indication of how market design and eligibility conditions can shape the role of storage.
The reported German price is also much higher than the prices in the two Belgian auctions: €155,296/MW/year compared with €21,643 and €18,143/MW/year. These figures are not necessarily directly comparable, as they come from separate national markets and auction arrangements. They should not be read as a like-for-like measure of the value or cost of batteries in either country.
For storage developers, the immediate question is whether upcoming German procurement rounds will offer a route to contract revenue. The reported difficulty of accessing a later, smaller auction suggests that a target or opportunity for storage does not by itself establish that projects can qualify or win.
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Two Capacity Market Designs
Belgium’s results cover two auction timelines: Y-2 for delivery in 2028–29 and Y-4 for delivery in 2030–31. A separate Y-1 auction for 2027–28 awarded no new capacity because Elia considered earlier awards sufficient. The figures supplied by Elia describe the awarded volumes and prices, but do not specify the battery projects’ individual locations or operating characteristics.
Germany’s September auction was the first of two rounds intended to procure 9GW in total. The European Union approved Germany’s capacity mechanism a week before that auction, according to the report. Climate groups criticized the mechanism as “pro-gas.” That is an attributed criticism, not a finding about the auction’s compliance or effects.
Energy-Storage.News also reported that a subsequent 2GW auction, described as intended to be more accessible to storage, could be difficult for battery projects to enter. This concern was among takeaways discussed at Solar Media’s Energy Storage Summit Germany 2026 in Berlin in September, the report said.
“The Y-2 auction procured 1.6GW of capacity, including 0.5GW of BESS.”
— Elia
German Battery Access Remains Unclear
The published figures do not establish why Germany’s first auction selected no projects identified in the report as battery storage, or whether batteries were eligible but unable to compete. The report says the awarded units appear to be legacy generation, mainly gas; the available material does not provide a complete project-by-project technology breakdown or explain each unit’s status.
It is also unclear how much storage capacity could enter the planned 2GW auction, what conditions would apply, or whether any battery project will win. The Belgian and German prices use different market arrangements, so their direct economic comparability is also uncertain.
The Second German Auction
The next key development is Germany’s second planned auction, part of the stated effort to procure 9GW across two rounds. Its timing, final rules, eligible technologies and awarded projects are not specified in the source material. Those details will show whether battery developers can participate on workable terms and whether the first auction’s reliance on existing generation continues.
In Belgium, the reported results set out awards for the 2028–29 and 2030–31 delivery periods. Further information on the contracted projects and subsequent auction outcomes would clarify how much of the awarded battery capacity is built and available when needed.
Key Questions
How much battery capacity did Belgium award?
Elia awarded 1GW of battery energy storage across its Y-2 and Y-4 auctions, within 2.4GW of total procured capacity.
What did Germany’s first capacity auction procure?
It awarded 5.16GW across 11 projects, exceeding the 4.5GW sought. The projects appear to be legacy generation, mainly gas, according to Energy-Storage.News.
Were batteries awarded capacity in Germany?
The report identifies the winning projects as apparently existing generation, mainly gas, and does not identify a battery award. It does not provide enough detail to establish whether batteries were eligible or why none were identified among the winners.
Are the Belgian and German auction prices directly comparable?
Not necessarily. The reported weighted average prices were €18,143–€21,643/MW/year in Belgium and €155,296/MW/year in Germany, but the auctions belong to different national mechanisms and may not share directly comparable terms.
What happens next in Germany?
A second auction is planned as part of Germany’s stated 9GW total procurement. Its schedule and final rules, including how accessible it will be to storage, are not given in the available report.
Source: energy-storage.news
