NGEN breaks ground on 170MWh battery system in Austria

In Wagenham, Austria, NGEN Austria is developing what they say will be one of Europe’s largest grid-scale energy storage facilities with an output of 85MW and a storage capacity of 170MWh. 

The plant is scheduled to go online in 2026 and, according to Slovenia-based tech company NGEN, aims to secure long-term grid stability as the share of intermittent renewable energy in the country continues to rise.

Located to the north of Austria, near the border with Germany, once online, the facility will balance fluctuations from wind and solar sources through flexible power delivery. 

Commenting in a release, NGEN Co-CEO Dr. Dejan Paravan said the project is proof of the company’s goal of driving energy resilience in the country:

“Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a clean, decentralised, and resilient energy system through intelligent technology. The Wagenham project is a powerful tangible proof of that mission in action.”

Said Mag. Andreas Ljuba, Country Manager, NGEN Austria GmbH: “We have been developing this project with deep commitment since 2023.

“Following our successful implementations in Arnoldstein (Carinthia) and Fürstenfeld (Styria), the Wagenham groundbreaking marks the realisation of another high-impact project for Austria.”

Matija Dolinar, Chief Commercial Officer at NGEN Group: “We are building Austria’s largest system-critical energy storage facility - one of the most significant in Europe. 

“Situated at the interface with Germany, Upper Austria lies at the heart of Europe. It is exactly here that we need high-performance storage solutions to drive the energy transition forward efficiently.”

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Austria’s storage requirements

Klaus Mühlbacher, Member of the Upper Austrian Provincial Parliament and spokesperson for Climate & Environment: 

“This battery power plant is a forward-thinking infrastructure project. Grid-supportive storage like this is essential for utilising renewable energy efficiently and strengthening our security of supply.”

According to a study published in 2025, Austria will need battery energy storage capacity of 8.7GW by 2040 to address the expansion of renewable systems and rising power demand the country has been experiencing.

The study, conducted as part of a collaborative project between Austrian Power Grid (APG), the Austrian Photovoltaic Association, Graz University of Technology, and d-fine, said that such battery systems are becoming the cornerstone for short-term decentralised flexibilities in Austria.

According to the study, increasing demand for green electricity by new consumers in industry, heating and hot water supply, as well as transportation and mobility, requires an ambitious expansion of renewable energy sources, particularly wind and PV. 

To integrate these volatile power generation technologies into the system, it adds, there is an increasing need to shift the availability of energy from times of surplus production to hours of high demand. Moreover, new flexibility options must be created to facilitate the phase-out of fossil fuels.

Specifically, according to the study, the country will see electricity demand rise to 125TWh in 2040, which corresponds to an approximate doubling. This demand includes the consumption of transport, households and commerce, industry, the energy sector, as well as transport losses and the conversion input.

Said Mühlbacher: “The energy transition relies on three pillars: renewable generation, high-capacity grids, and storage. Upper Austria is once again proving its leadership in modern energy technology.”