AMSTERDAM, 10 Sept 2025 – Return, a leading independent European energy storage provider, announces its partnership with Berlin-based BESSMART to acquire four strategic battery energy storage locations in Eastern Germany, totaling 310 megawatts (MW) and 670 megawatt-hours (MWh). By working across the energy chain, from grid operators to renewable producers and businesses, Return strengthens Europe’s energy network and accelerates the transition to net zero.
Four facilities in Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony sit at key 110kV grid points. Together, they will generate enough renewable energy to power nearly all of Berlin’s streetlights for a full night, with commercial operation scheduled for 2027. These locations are part of Return’s broader European growth, with a multi-gigawatt pipeline advancing the energy transition and supporting grid reliability across the continent.
These sites target grid congestion in renewable-heavy regions, with storage placed at bottlenecks to deliver power efficiently and stabilize the grid.
“Our energy system is stuck because fragmented efforts and industry thinking won't solve the coordination challenges we face,” said Willem-Jan Schutte, CEO of Return. “This partnership with BESSMART demonstrates Return's strategic approach: building an interconnected storage network that serves the entire energy ecosystem, not just individual battery storage locations.”
Return’s approach differs from conventional storage by creating network effects rather than isolated sites. By closely tracking flexibility needs across Europe, Return provides a platform that enables customers across its portfolio - including utilities, grid operators and industrial partners - to optimize renewable portfolios and ensure price and transmission stability. Using predictive analytics and strategic placement, the new BESS facilities integrate into Return’s European network, meeting rising flexibility demand in Germany and across the continent.
For TSO 50Hertz, the expansion delivers critical flexibility during peak generation and system stability during demand peaks. The positioning maximizes local renewable grid access, boosts transmission efficiency, and provides congestion relief, strengthening the resilience of regional networks.
These new locations are part of Return’s broader European growth, with a pipeline over 7GW and >0.5 GW under construction and in operations, advancing the energy transition and supporting grid reliability across the continent, with a growing focus on Germany. Return contributes its expertise in providing intelligent energy storage networks that optimize renewable power and strengthen the grid, while BESSMART brings deep knowledge in developing, building, and operating projects, delivered across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The Berlin-based BESSMART team now focuses exclusively on Germany, navigating complex permitting and grid connection processes to deliver ready-to-build, bankable projects that integrate with communities and the energy system. Dauerkraft Finance GmbH acted as financial advisor to BESSMART in this transaction.
“Our capabilities align perfectly with Return’s network strategy," said Marco Northland, Founder & Managing Partner at BESSMART. "These projects demonstrate how strategic positioning creates value for all stakeholders, from renewable developers to grid operators to energy consumers."
The 310 MW expansion provides our customer base, including utilities and long-term energy customers with near-term access to flexible, ready-to-use storage capacity. This supports efficient renewable integration, helps manage grid constraints and enables a faster response to market needs. Customers gain long-term, value-adding offtake agreements that provide reliable access to clean energy, strengthen system resilience and support strategic planning toward net-zero goals. Developers can leverage Return’s expertise to bring new projects to ready-to-build stage efficiently and deliver flexibility to the market.
The BESSMART partnership also ensures that high-quality locations, with permits and grid connections already secured, are available to support growth and strategic planning in Germany’s energy markets.
