CEE Battery Brief #1: Poland's storage deals, softer lithium and Europe's sodium-ion moment

The past week combined a large storage deal in Poland, strong global deployment figures and further softening in lithium. Below are the stories that matter most for the battery industry in Central and Eastern Europe.

Storage: Polish deal flow and a Greek milestone

Infrastructure investor Actis has bought a 1.14 GWh portfolio of battery storage projects in Poland from DRI, the international renewables business of DTEK.¹ Poland's capacity market has made the country one of the most active storage markets in the region, and deals of this size suggest long-term investors now treat Polish BESS as an asset class of its own.

In Greece, Metlen and Karatzis inaugurated a 790 MWh battery system, with the prime minister saying that "storage should accompany renewables".²

What to watch: whether more Polish portfolios change hands before construction, and how quickly other CEE grid operators open their markets to storage.

Deployment keeps accelerating

Grid-scale installations worldwide reached 20.4 GWh in September, up 61%, with year-to-date volumes up 43%.³ In Germany, five developers moved 4-hour projects totalling 3.2 GWh into construction,⁴ and Wood Mackenzie finds that batteries now beat gas peaker plants on levelised cost globally.⁵ Longer durations are relevant for CEE grids, which face similar evening peaks.

Raw materials: lithium softens

Chinese lithium prices fell to a nearly 10-month low on demand concerns.⁶ Supply keeps growing anyway: PLS Group approved a $1.3 billion expansion at Pilgangoora,⁷ and the International Nickel Study Group expects a nickel surplus this year and next.⁸

For cell makers and buyers in the region, this eases cost pressure. For lithium and refining projects planned in Europe, it makes financing harder.

Cells and technology

European system integrators say they would be "surprised" not to deploy sodium-ion storage with CATL cells next year.⁹ In France, Saft has started making solid-state batteries in Bordeaux.¹⁰ Slovakia's InoBat featured in a review of mixed stock-market debuts for storage technology firms, a sign that investors remain selective about European cell manufacturing.¹¹

Recycling and policy

Redwood will repurpose end-of-life batteries from Rivian vehicles,¹² and Hydrovolt will recycle Iceland's EV batteries.¹³ A guest analysis warns that Europe's market is not yet ready for second-life BESS business models.¹⁴

On policy, France and Germany proposed a 90% CO₂ cut for new cars by 2035,¹⁵ Ember found that the world falls short of its energy storage commitment,¹⁶ and suppliers are preparing for the EU Battery Passport.¹⁷

Dates for your diary

• 2–3 Nov · Li-ion Battery Europe, Barcelona
• 4–5 Nov · Hungarian Battery Days, Debrecen
• 4–5 Nov · International Battery Production Conference, Braunschweig
• All upcoming events →

Sources

1. Actis buys 1.14GWh of BESS in Poland from DTEK's DRI – Energy-Storage.news, 8 Oct 2026 ↩

2. Greek PM says 'storage should accompany renewables' as Metlen, Karatzis inaugurate 790MWh BESS – Energy-Storage.news, 15 Oct 2026 ↩

3. 20.4GWh grid-scale BESS deployed globally in September, up 61%; YTD installs up 43% – Energy-Storage.news, 15 Oct 2026 ↩

4. Germany Roundup: Enertrag, Enlight, Vattenfall, Fluence, Giga Storage progress 4-hour batteries totalling 3.2GWh to construction – Energy-Storage.news, 16 Oct 2026 ↩

5. BESS beats gas peaker plants on LCOE globally, Wood Mackenzie finds – Energy-Storage.news, 19 Oct 2026 ↩

6. Chinese lithium prices tumble to nearly 10-month low on demand concerns – MINING.COM, 12 Oct 2026 ↩

7. PLS Group greenlights $1.3 billion expansion to lift Pilgangoora lithium output – MINING.COM, 15 Oct 2026 ↩

8. Global nickel market set for surplus this year and next, INSG says – MINING.COM, 13 Oct 2026 ↩

9. Europe's system integrators move quickly on sodium-ion with CATL – Energy-Storage.news, 9 Oct 2026 ↩

10. TotalEnergies subsidiary Saft manufactures solid-state batteries in Bordeaux – electrive, 19 Oct 2026 ↩

11. Mixed stock market listing fortunes for energy storage technology firms ESS Inc, ZincFive and InoBat – Energy-Storage.news, 6 Oct 2026 ↩

12. Redwood to repurpose end-of-life batteries from Rivian vehicles – electrive, 17 Oct 2026 ↩

13. Hydrovolt to recycle Iceland's EV batteries in future – electrive, 20 Oct 2026 ↩

14. Europe's battery market isn't ready for second-life BESS business models yet – Energy-Storage.news, 14 Oct 2026 ↩

15. France and Germany propose 90 per cent CO₂ cut for new cars by 2035 – electrive, 16 Oct 2026 ↩

16. World falls well short on commitment to energy storage, Ember says – Energy-Storage.news, 15 Oct 2026 ↩

17. Circuland helps the battery industry prepare for the EU Battery Passport – Batteries News, 12 Oct 2026 ↩