New large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) have come online this week with a combined capacity of 125 MW / 265 MWh entering operation in the Netherlands and Lithuania.
Netherlands 100 MW
European independent energy storage provider Return announced that its 100 MW / 200 MWh Antares standalone BESS in Waddinxveen, Netherlands, in the west of country, has entered commercial operation. Return said the project entered commercial operation ahead of schedule and is directly connected to transmission system operator TenneT’s 150 kV high-voltage grid.
The company said the project completed construction, grid connection, testing and commissioning before entering commercial operation.
Return credited TenneT, energy storage system integrator Alfen and engineering and technical services company SPIE Nederland, among others, for helping bring the Antares project into operation.
“A big thank you to all our partners who contributed to bringing Antares from construction to commercial operation. Reaching this milestone ahead of schedule has been a true team effort,” Return said on LinkedIn.
Hybrid park in Lithuania comes online
Meanwhile, Danish renewable energy developer European Energy has opened its first battery storage project in the Baltics.
Located at its renewable energy park in Anykščiai, Lithuania, the 25 MW / 65 MWh BESS is co-located with a 78.5 MW solar farm, forming a hybrid solar-plus-storage facility. The site is located towards the east of the country, some 100 km north of the capital Vilinius.
“With the opening of our first battery project in the Baltics, we are adding flexibility to our activities in Lithuania and demonstrating how solar generation and battery storage can work together,” said Tadeušas Konkovskis, vice president and head of the Baltic region at European Energy.
European Energy stated that the Anykščiai battery was connected to Lithuania’s electricity transmission grid in Q2 2026.
The company said it expects the approximately 120-hectare site to generate around 80,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually.
European Energy currently operates more than 400 MW of renewable energy capacity in Lithuania, while its portfolio of solar, wind and energy storage projects under development in the country is approximately 800 MW.
The company is also expanding its storage portfolio beyond Europe. In August 2026, European Energy commenced construction of a 40 MW / 80 MWh BESS alongside its existing 58 MW Mokoan solar farm near Winton, Victoria, Australia.
The post Quick roundup: 265 MWh comes online in Netherlands, Lithuania appeared first on Energy Storage.
