daily · Clean Energy
Enertrag, Axpo advance 239 MWh of French battery storage with FID and Saft equipment order
German developer Enertrag has taken final investment decision on the 39 MW/117 MWh Le Sablons battery project in Hauts-de-France, which advisor Natural Power says could be France's first 3-hour system, while Swiss utility Axpo contracted Saft to supply batteries for two more French projects totalling 55 MW/122 MWh.
By Greener Numbers Editorial Team · Published October 21, 2026 · Updated 10/21/2026
Enertrag has reached final investment decision on its 39 MW/117 MWh Le Sablons battery energy storage project in France's Hauts-de-France region, advisor Natural Power announced on October 19. The project, which Natural Power says could be the country's first 3-hour battery system, is scheduled to come online in Spring 2027.
Le Sablons is co-located at the same substation as two of Enertrag's wind farms, which combined with the battery total 120 MW of capacity. Enertrag signed an offtake deal with utility GazelEnergie in June under which GazelEnergie will control the project's dispatch in the energy market while Enertrag operates and maintains the system.
The Enertrag decision follows contracts signed a few weeks earlier by Switzerland-based utility Axpo with battery manufacturer and integrator Saft, part of TotalEnergies, for two French projects: the 41 MW/92 MWh Orbec installation in Normandy and the 14 MW/30 MWh Bois Paillet project in Centre-Val de Loire. Together with Le Sablons, the three projects total 239 MWh.
Saft will supply 18 of its Intensium Flex containerised battery units for the two Axpo projects, with deliveries scheduled for early 2027, along with its I-Sight digital monitoring platform.
Most projects in the French market are currently 2-hour systems, reflecting the mix of ancillary services and energy market opportunities as the country's renewable pipeline grows. The largest system online is TagEnergy's 240 MW/480 MWh Cernay-les-Reims project, with similar-scale installations being built by IPPs Neoen and Kallista.
Official source: Energy-Storage.news ↗