Baker McKenzie Advises Alpiq on Agreement for Battery Storage Project in Saxony

Baker McKenzie has advised Alpiq, a leading Swiss electricity producer and energy service provider, on an agreement with project developer ToRa GmbH for a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Saxony, Germany. The BESS project will have a minimum capacity of 36 megawatts and a storage capacity of 144 megawatt hours. It is expected to be ready to build in the first quarter of 2026, with commissioning planned for the second quarter of 2028.

Claire Dietz-Polte, one of the lead partners in the transaction, remarked: "Thanks to our extensive expertise and many years of experience in advising on battery storage projects, we were able to support our client in successfully implementing this important transaction."

Holger Engelkamp, who led the transaction together with Claire Dietz-Polte, added: "By investing in this project, our client can further strengthen its leading role in terms of flexibility throughout Europe and play an active role in shaping the energy transition."

Alpiq has a long history in highly flexible power plants (e.g. hydro pumped storage, gas) and is continuing its growth strategy in the field of flexible power plants and storage facilities, investing also in battery storage projects. The company recently secured a project pipeline for a BESS totaling 370 megawatts in the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. Alpiq operates throughout Europe and is one of the largest direct marketers of renewable energy in Germany. The company employs around 1350 people and is headquartered in Lausanne (Switzerland).

The project is being developed by ToRa GmbH, a German renewable energy service company based in Leer (Lower Saxony). Founded in 2020, the company specializes in the entire value chain of wind and solar energy projects. Combined with Alpiq's expertise in operating and optimizing flexible assets, as well as its financial stability, this partnership lays the ideal foundation to realize projects in the highly competitive and complex German battery storage market.

Baker McKenzie's energy and infrastructure team regularly advises utilities, infrastructure funds, industrial companies, developers and banks on battery storage investments and project development. Baker McKenzie advises on the entire project life cycle, including land securing, planning and permitting, EPC, O&M and commercialization agreements, and financing. Most recently, Baker McKenzie advised Return on the conclusion of a partnership with BESSMART Energies GmbH. As part of the partnership, Return will take over four battery storage sites in Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony. Baker McKenzie also advised Terra One Climate Solutions GmbH on the conclusion of a framework agreement with S4 Energy, a Dutch subsidiary of Castleton Commodities International (CCI), on the sale of 10 battery energy storage systems (with a combined capacity of 310 megawatts).


Legal advisor to Alpiq:
Baker McKenzie

Lead: Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Holger Engelkamp (partner, Berlin)
Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Claire Dietz-Polte (partner, Berlin)

Team: Projects/Energy & Infrastructure: Dr. Janet Butler (counsel, Berlin), Stefanie Zenzen (associate, Düsseldorf)
Corporate/Energy & Infrastructure: Ben Boi Beetz (senior associate, Berlin)