Italy, strategic hub for energy storage: investment boom

"The expectation is that by 2030 almost 20 billion euros will be invested in accumulation technologies in Italy, and we want to play a leading role in this transformation," says Julian Nebreda, CEO of Fluence-multinational active in 50 countries, 15 of which in Europe. Fluence is the result of a joint venture between Siemens and AES and aims, through its customer base, not only to capture a significant share of the capacity auctioned on 30 September, but to reach around 20-30% of the total Macse (forward storage market) demand by 2030. The company - which ended Q2 2025 with revenues of $602.5m (+24.7%) and confirms its revenue forecast for the year of between $2.6bn and $2.8bn - plans to open an office in Italy by the end of this year, to preside over the southern European region.

'We have been operating in Italy since 2012, when the storage market was taking its first steps. We have seen the market, regulation and local expertise grow,' Nebreda points out. "Today we have realised several projects in the country, including two large plants operating in Piedmont and Veneto, with a total capacity of 40MW. They are intended for Fast Reserve services and are capable of reacting to changes in grid frequency in less than 150 milliseconds: among the fastest resources in Europe, with availability performance in excess of 98%."

The real frontier of innovation today concerns increasingly intelligent, compact and secure storage systems. In this context, Fluence has developed Smartstack, a solution that offers 30% higher energy density than conventional systems, with a modular, vertically developed architecture that reduces land consumption. "Smartstack is designed to operate for up to ten hours, provides modularity, very high reliability and simplifies logistics and installation thanks to the separation of battery modules and control systems. In addition, advanced sensors and system management through artificial intelligence increase the safety and operational life of the asset,' explains Nebreda.

As technology evolves, regulation also needs adjustment. And if current permit restrictions on height and density are an obstacle to the spread of higher-performance battery storage technology, a dialogue with the ministry and regulators is underway, "since the new storage systems allow a 30% reduction in the amount of land occupied and less noise impact, which is crucial especially in densely populated centres".

In recent years the focus on cybersecurity and digital resilience has greatly increased: 'The protection of data, networks and software is a top priority, because we are talking about infrastructures that are increasingly critical to the functioning of a country,' Nebreda points out. The company's commitment translates into both proprietary solutions and adaptation - already today - to the most stringent EU requirements for digitised energy infrastructures.