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BW ESS has acquired two battery storage projects in France from Recurrent Energy, giving it a planned 200 MW/800 MWh platform and marking its entry into the country. The move follows a financing deal for the company’s Hams Hall project in the UK, which is expected to reach 1,424 MWh after a second phase.
BW ESS has acquired two standalone battery storage projects from Recurrent Energy in France, marking the company’s entry into the market with a combined planned capacity of 200 MW/800 MWh. The deal comes days after BW ESS announced debt financing for its Hams Hall project in the UK, which is planned to reach 1,424 MWh and is on course, according to the company, to become Europe’s largest operational battery site by energy capacity.
The French projects are each rated at 100 MW/400 MWh and are located in Calvados and the Eastern Pyrenees. BW ESS said both are in advanced development and that it will work with Recurrent Energy as they move toward construction and operation. The companies did not disclose the purchase price or a timetable for the French projects.
The acquisition is BW ESS’s first in France and its seventh market globally, the company said. BW ESS described the projects as a starting point for further expansion in the country. The announcement confirms a change in ownership, but it does not establish when either French battery system will begin operating.
Separately, BW ESS said on October 21 that OCBC, Rabobank and Societe Generale would provide debt financing for its 400 MW/1,424 MWh Hams Hall BESS in the UK. The lenders will provide equal portions of the facility, with Rabobank acting as facility agent. The financing transaction is expected to close at the project’s commercial operations date.
Hams Hall, beside National Grid’s Hams Hall substation, is expected to start with 350 MW/1,243 MWh in its first phase, then rise to 400 MW/1,424 MWh after a second phase is completed. BW ESS said the first phase is expected to enter operation before the end of 2026. A 10-year floor and optimization agreement with EDF, signed earlier in 2026, underpins long-term revenues for that first phase.
A French Platform and UK Financing
The French purchase gives BW ESS a foothold in a market where the company says it sees room to expand battery storage. If the projects are built and operated as planned, their combined 800 MWh of storage would add a sizeable portfolio to BW ESS’s business in France. The announcement is also relevant to Recurrent Energy as it sells projects at an advanced development stage while remaining involved in their progress toward construction and operation.
Battery systems can store electricity and return it to the grid when needed. BW ESS CEO Erik Strømsø said they could add flexibility alongside France’s nuclear generation, including by absorbing surplus power and responding to changing system conditions. Those are the company’s stated reasons for pursuing the projects; the announcement does not give project-specific operating forecasts, grid-service contracts or expected revenues for the French sites.
The UK financing news shows a separate part of BW ESS’s growth strategy: securing debt for a large project as it advances toward operation. Hams Hall’s planned capacity makes it a major project by energy-storage volume, but its expected European ranking depends on completion and operation. The company’s wording is a forecast, not confirmation that the site is already operating or currently holds that position.
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How the Two Deals Connect
The French acquisition follows a period of expansion for BW ESS across several markets. The company says France is its seventh market globally, although the source report does not provide a full list of those markets or details of its existing projects elsewhere. Its stated intention is to build a larger French portfolio beyond these two assets.
The Hams Hall project is a distinct development in the United Kingdom, not part of the French transaction. Its first phase is planned at 1,243 MWh, with a second phase intended to lift total capacity to 1,424 MWh. BW ESS’s October 21 financing announcement preceded the October 29 report on its French acquisitions. The two developments show activity in separate markets, but no source material indicates that the transactions share financing, ownership structures or construction schedules.
For Hams Hall, the EDF agreement is described as a 10-year floor and optimization arrangement for the first phase. The report does not provide the contract’s financial terms. It also does not identify equipment suppliers, construction contractors or the full schedule for the second phase.
“These acquisitions give us an immediate 200 MW / 800 MWh platform in the country and provide a strong foundation for building a sizeable French portfolio.”
— Erik Strømsø, BW ESS CEO and co-founder
Prices, Schedules and Project Terms
The companies have not disclosed the sale price, detailed acquisition terms or expected construction start dates for the Calvados and Eastern Pyrenees projects. The source report says the assets are in advanced development, but does not specify their planning, permitting, grid-connection or contracting status. It is therefore unclear when they could begin construction or enter service.
For Hams Hall, the project’s stated European ranking is prospective and refers to operational energy capacity. The first phase is expected before the end of 2026, while the timing for the second phase is not given. The report also does not state whether the financing has already closed; BW ESS said closure is expected at commercial operations. The debt facility’s value and other financial terms were not provided.
Construction and Operations Milestones
BW ESS and Recurrent Energy said they will work together as the two French projects progress toward construction and operation. Further updates would be needed to establish their build schedules, final investment arrangements and expected service dates. BW ESS has said it intends to pursue a larger French portfolio, but has not named a next project or set a target for expansion.
In the UK, the next reported milestones are the start of Hams Hall’s first phase, which BW ESS expects before the end of 2026, and the financing facility’s expected close at commercial operations. Completion of the second phase would bring the site to its planned 1,424 MWh capacity. The timing of that phase and the date on which the full site would be operational remain unannounced.
Key Questions
What has BW ESS acquired in France?
BW ESS acquired two standalone battery energy storage projects from Recurrent Energy, one in Calvados and one in the Eastern Pyrenees. Each is rated at 100 MW/400 MWh.
How much storage capacity do the French projects represent?
The two projects together have a planned capacity of 200 MW/800 MWh. BW ESS says they are in advanced development; the report does not give operating dates.
What is the Hams Hall financing?
OCBC, Rabobank and Societe Generale are providing debt financing for BW ESS’s UK Hams Hall project in equal proportions, with Rabobank acting as facility agent. The financing is expected to close at commercial operations.
Is Hams Hall already Europe’s largest operating battery site?
No such status is confirmed in the report. BW ESS says the project is on course to become Europe’s largest operational site by energy capacity when it enters commercial operations, with planned capacity of 1,424 MWh after its second phase.
When will the French projects begin operating?
The companies have not announced operating dates. They said the projects are in advanced development and that BW ESS will work with Recurrent Energy as they move toward construction and operation.
Source: ess-news.com
