CEE Battery Brief #3: Polish BESS sale, Czech auctions may slip, solid-state cells advance

Polish storage assets changing hands and a proposed delay to Czech capacity auctions set the tone for CEE this week. Elsewhere, large European projects moved closer to construction and solid-state cells took further steps towards series production.

Storage: a Polish sale and a Czech delay

Greenvolt has agreed to sell two stand-alone batteries in north-eastern Poland, Ełk and Turośń Kościelna, to Malta-based A&R Investments. Each is rated 200 MW / 800 MWh, giving 400 MW / 1.6 GWh combined; both were completed in the third quarter and hold 17-year capacity market contracts from 2028 plus 10-year tolling agreements. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2026.¹ ESS News puts its value at $438 million.² A sale of finished, contracted assets suggests that Polish storage is starting to attract buyers looking for operating rather than development risk.

In Czechia, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed moving two supplementary auctions under the new capacity mechanism, which is open to batteries, from 2026 to 2027, a year later than prospective bidders had planned for.³ The draft also lets units eligible for 15-year contracts bid in several auctions at once; comments are open until 30 October.⁴

What to watch: whether the Czech draft is adopted unchanged after the consultation closes on 30 October.⁴

Deployment: big projects in Germany and Iberia

Dutch developer Giga Storage has secured financing and a grid connection for its Albatross project in Germany, with a consortium of seven banks providing €260 million of debt for the 350 MW / 1.4 GWh system using CATL batteries.⁵ The site in Lower Saxony connects to Amprion's 380 kV network, with construction expected in the first half of 2027 and commissioning planned for 2028.⁶

Spain announced 27 renewable projects with a combined 1.78 GW of battery capacity in the third quarter,⁷ while Portugal has made grid-forming capability mandatory for large battery plants, moving ahead of the EU's own revision of generator connection rules.⁸ In the US, Tesla deployed 13.7 GWh of storage in the third quarter,⁹ its second-highest quarter, although revenue in the division fell 16% year on year.¹⁰

Cells: solid-state edges towards production

Greater Bay Technology has started series production of all-solid-state cells in Nansha, Guangzhou, on 1 GWh of converted lithium-ion capacity.¹¹ The company quotes energy densities of 260–480 Wh/kg depending on cell generation, and names Flynt as a European partner.¹²

Svolt has begun mass production of 100 kWh semi-solid packs that it says support 900 V, 6C charging.¹³ In the US, QuantumScape plans a 100 MWh cell line aimed at sectors including AI data centres and defence.¹⁴ Volumes remain small, but the shift from samples to production lines suggests the technology is leaving the lab.

E-mobility: Baltic buses

Vilnius transport operator VVT will deploy up to 160 zero-emission electric and hydrogen buses with €110 million in loans from the European Investment Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank.¹⁵ The plan includes 145 new charging stations, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027.¹⁶

Lithuanian minibus maker Altas Auto has built its 10,000th vehicle since 2002; the milestone unit was an electric Mercedes eSprinter for a customer in Norway.¹⁷

Dates for your diary

• 2–3 Nov · Li-ion Battery Europe, Barcelona
• 4–5 Nov · Hungarian Battery Days, Debrecen
• 11–12 Nov · Battery Innovation Days, Stockholm
• 16–18 Nov · Batteries Event, Lyon
• All upcoming events →

Sources

1. Greenvolt agrees to sell two battery storage projects in Poland to A&R Investments – Energy Global, 23 Oct 2026 ↩

2. Greenvolt sells off two 800 MWh Polish battery projects for $438 million – ESS News, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

3. Czech ministry proposes storage capacity auctions to 2027 – ESS News, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

4. Czech ministry revises capacity mechanism rules. Additional auctions may be moved to 2027 – oEnergetice.cz, 16 Oct 2026 ↩↩

5. Giga Storage secures financing, grid connection for 1.4 GWh CATL BESS project in Germany – ESS News, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

6. GIGA Storage advances 350 MW / 1.4 GWh Albatross project in Lower Saxony to construction-ready stage – ESS News, 2 Oct 2026 ↩

7. Spain announces 27 renewable projects with 1.78 GW of BESS – ESS News, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

8. Portugal makes grid-forming mandatory for large battery storage plants – ESS News, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

9. Tesla Third Quarter 2026 Production, Deliveries & Deployments – Tesla (SEC filing), Oct 2026 ↩

10. Tesla Q3 2026 energy storage revenues fall despite second-highest quarterly deployments – Energy-Storage.news, 23 Oct 2026 ↩

11. Greater Bay Technology begins all-solid-state cell production on a converted Li-ion line – Charged EVs, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

12. GBT begins series production of solid-state battery cells – electrive, 14 Oct 2026 ↩

13. Svolt begins mass production of 100-kWh semi-solid fast-charging battery packs – CnEVPost, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

14. QuantumScape plans 100MWh battery production line – BEST Magazine, 23 Oct 2026 ↩

15. Vilnius secures €110 million from EIB and CEB for up to 160 zero-emission buses and charging infrastructure – Sustainable Bus, 26 Oct 2026 ↩

16. Vilnius secures major loan for public transport electrification – electrive, 21 Oct 2026 ↩

17. Altas Auto reaches 10,000 vehicles produced, with electric Mercedes eSprinter delivered to Norway – Sustainable Bus, 23 Oct 2026 ↩