French independent power producer Akuo is set to begin construction of an 80 MW/220 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at its Santas solar photovoltaic plant in Borba, Portugal. The project, known as SantasBAT, will be coupled with the plant’s existing 181 MW of solar capacity and is designed to provide 2.75 hours of energy storage. Completion is targeted for the second quarter of 2027.
The Portuguese government awarded the project €15 million through the nation’s allocation of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. In spring 2025, this fund supported roughly 500 MW of energy storage projects, distributing about €100 million in total. The support underscores Portugal’s broader push to increase grid flexibility and enhance resilience following a major Iberian Peninsula blackout last year.
SantasBAT will store excess solar generation and dispatch it during periods of peak demand. This aligns with Portugal’s target of sourcing 85 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. In parallel, national authorities are preparing a new auction for large-scale storage assets and investing in grid modernization initiatives to integrate higher shares of variable renewables.
Over the past year, several international independent power producers—including Sonnedix, Hyperion, Voltalia and NGEN—have advanced large-scale storage projects toward construction in Portugal. Smaller installations totaling tens of megawatts have also come online between 2022 and 2025, delivered by system integrators such as Fluence and the now-defunct Powin. These developments reflect a transition from pilot-scale deployments to utility-scale storage programs.
Akuo has previously undertaken in-house integration for its storage projects in overseas territories, including installations in Tonga, Martinique and New Caledonia. The company has not yet disclosed whether it will follow the same approach for SantasBAT. As Portugal scales up its storage capacity, the project highlights the growing role of behind-the-meter and grid-forming batteries in supporting renewable energy expansion.
Source: Energy-Storage.News
