In March 2025, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) announced a strategic partnership with GC Storage Services (GCSS) to co-develop a 2.3 GW pipeline of large-scale battery energy storage projects across Northern and Southern Italy. The projects span about 14 individual sites with the first expected to break-ground by end of 2025. This continues to leverage Italy’s battery-friendly regulatory framework and revenue mechanisms such as the Capacity Market in the north and the MACSE storage auctions in the south. Italy also closed its first national battery storage auction in October 2025. The 10GWh-centered battery storage auction saw Enel dominate the tenders, as well as other developers like GreenVolt with a 499 MWh BESS project in Calabria, southern Italy.
CIP and GCSS to oversee 2.3 GW battery storage (BESS) projects across Northern and Southern Italy
Reported March 26, 2025 – Danish-based renewable energy investor, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), shakes hands over a 2.3 GW pipeline of battery storage (BESS) projects across Northern and Southern Italy with Italian renewable battery company, GC Storage Services (GCSS). GCSS is an energy partnership between renewable-energy-invested companies – Ikigai Energy and Agnoli Giuggioli. The first of the battery storage projects will break-ground before end of 2025.
Project factsheet
Location: Northern and Southern Italy
Utility: Large-scale battery storage (BESS) facilities
Cumulative storage capacity: 2.3 GW
Developers: CIP, GCSS
Cost: Undisclosed
Start of construction: Before end of Q4 2025
CIP’s investment and current BESS project status
The investment made by CIP is part of its fifth flagship fund, CI V. CI V held a more than EUR 12 billion final close in March 2025. The 2.3 GW battery storage projects across Northern and Southern Italy by CIP and GCSS is part of the 6 projects currently featuring in CI V’s Final Investment Decision (FID).
Currently, GCS is identifying suitable connection points on land for the project’s installations. 10 connection points will be made across the energy pipeline.
Why a CIP – GCSS 2.3 GW battery storage across Italy?
GCSS and CIP’s 2.3 GW battery storage project in Italy offers a multi-facet view of its utility.
At its core, it will boost Italy’s BESS market in Europe. The project will create a reliable renewable energy network across Italy while succinctly affirming the project’s business case. At play in this long-term contracted revenue case are the Capacity Market, and the MACSE auctions, each serving the Northern and Southern regions respectively.
Also underpinning the 2.3 GW battery storage projects across Northern and Southern Italy is renewable energy security. The project, as put in official project partnership communication, will enable “it [Italy] meet its 2030 renewable energy targets, decarbonising the power system whilst ensuring security of supply”.
Another facet to anchor the CIP and GC Storage partnership to develop the 2.3 GW battery storage projects across Northern and Southern Italy are the energy frameworks in place. The Italian government, and Europe at large, are receptive to the green energy transition. According to CIP, Italy has a “supportive framework” that favors the pulling of resources into these projects, and actually seeing to their completion.
What was said of the CIP – GCSS battery storage project in Italy
Much optimism has been also been expressed by key voices in the two companies. Nischal Agarwal, Partner at CIP, made clear of the company’s intentions, stating that, “Italy has a clear need for storage and the enabling market and regulatory mechanisms are being put in place to make battery storage projects commercially attractive.”
GCSS also has a broader goal with the project, aiming to make the 2.3 GW battery storage projects across Northern and Southern Italy one of the largest in the country. “Together with Agnoli Giuggioli (AG), we created GCSS with the objective of developing one of Italy’s largest and most bankable battery storage platforms.”, said Roberto Castiglioni, CEO of GCSS during the partnership announcement.
