Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (Mase) has issued final approvals for five new battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, paving the way for 361 MW of new capacity to be added to the nation’s grid. The projects are distributed across the regions of Lazio, Puglia, and Sardinia in Italy.

The approvals were formalized on August 5th through several “Decreti Direttoriali” (Directorial Decrees). These decrees are the culmination of Italy’s “Autorizzazione Unica” (Single Authorization) process, a streamlined procedure designed to accelerate energy project development by consolidating numerous permits into a single administrative act. This “Single Authorization” is the final green light developers need to begin construction. Once granted, developers typically have three years to complete construction.

The largest of the newly approved facilities is the 160 MW Roverella BESS project, which will be developed by Sphera Zefiro Srl in Tuscania, a municipality in the province of Viterbo, central Italy, roughly between Rome and Siena.

The other authorized projects include:

• A 72 MW BESS in Mogorella (Oristano, Sardinia – Island west of mainland Italy), awarded to Mogorella Srl.
• A 54.4 MW BESS in Santeramo in Colle (Bari, Apulia – Southeastern Italy), awarded to Jupiter Srl.
• The 50 MW “Stornara” BESS project in Stornara (Foggia, Apulia – Southeastern Italy), awarded to Atlas Storage 5 Srl.
• The 25 MW “Malone” BESS project in Ceprano (Frosinone, Lazio – Central Italy), awarded to GreenStore 4 Srl.

Duration and overall storage capacity in hours / megawatt hours are not typically provided in the authorization decrees.