Uniper has secured the right to dispatch a planned BESS of 20 MW and approximately 42 MWh at the Roßfeld site in Germany for a period of seven years. In return, the owner of the facility, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stadtwerke Lippstadt, will be paid a fixed remuneration, and commissioning is scheduled for summer 2027.
Capacity: 20 MW/42 MWh
Toll term: Seven years
Dispatch rights: Uniper
Facility owner: Lippstädter Ladesäulen
Owner income: Fixed remuneration
BESS supplier: VENSYS Elektrotechnik
Battery chemistry: LFP
Commissioning: Summer 2027
Uniper, a Germany-based energy company, has signed a seven-year tolling agreement for a BESS that is planned at the Roßfeld site in Germany. The facility is to have a power output of 20 MW and about 42 MWh of storage capacity, and it will be owned by Lippstädter Ladesäulen GmbH, the wholly owned subsidiary of Stadtwerke Lippstadt with which the contract has been made. Commissioning has been scheduled for summer 2027.
Under the toll, Ladesäulen GmbH will be paid a fixed remuneration, and in return Uniper will have the right to dispatch the facility in the electricity markets. The marketing and the commercial optimisation of the system will be the responsibility of Uniper, while the supply of the modular BESS, which will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology, and its maintenance will be undertaken by VENSYS Elektrotechnik.
That structure followed a comprehensive feasibility study of potential sites and of the technical and economic requirements of construction. Roßfeld emerged from the study as the most suitable location, and the findings led to the decision to pursue the tolling model, which, according to the companies, can allocate investment and revenue risks clearly between the owner of an asset and its marketing partner. For Stadtwerke Lippstadt, the project has opened a new business area, as the two companies had until now worked together in areas such as the procurement of standard energy trading products.
For Uniper, which has 18.5 GW of power generation capacity, the agreement will secure additional long-term flexibility for its energy trading portfolio. The company had already agreed a seven-year toll with Neoen earlier this year for the 30 MW/78 MWh Arneburg BESS in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, and that contract is set to begin in 2027.
Battery storage systems are playing an increasingly important role in an energy system with a growing share of renewables. For Uniper, this agreement marks another step in expanding our business in flexible energy assets. It secures additional long-term flexibility for our electricity portfolio and allows us to apply our expertise in marketing and optimisation. At the same time, Stadtwerke Lippstadt benefits from predictable remuneration. This creates a commercially attractive model for both partners and demonstrates how we can build on existing customer relationships to unlock new business opportunities.Nils Beenen, Managing Director of Uniper Energy Sales GmbH
The same form of contract has been taken up by other energy companies in Germany. Centrica Energy has signed a physical toll with Zelestra for the 99 MW/297 MWh Hilgermissen BESS in Lower Saxony, and it has agreed a virtual toll with Return for 100 MW/400 MWh. Vattenfall has brought a seven-year, 55 MW multi-asset toll with terralayr into full operation across eight decentralised storage systems.