Ore Energy to Deploy 1 GWh Iron-Air Battery for Budget
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- Ore Energy announced a 1 GWh iron-air battery agreement with Dutch energy supplier Budget Thuis, described as the largest iron-air battery deal in continental Europe and the first such agreement with a European energy supplier, with the first 400 MWh phase slated for 2028 delivery
- Iron-air batteries can store electricity for up to 100 hours using iron, water, and air in modular 40-foot containers that daisy-chain for scale, trading the higher efficiency of lithium-ion for cheaper, simpler materials on a European supply chain
- Ore Energy completed a pilot with EDF in France between August and November 2025, which it says was Europe's first grid-connected iron-air long-duration storage pilot and demonstrated up to four days of storage under real-world utility conditions
- Ore Energy had previously deployed a grid-connected iron-air installation in Delft, Netherlands, to test integration with existing European grid infrastructure before the Budget Thuis commercial commitment
- Budget Thuis CEO Annemarie Buitelaar said the deal is about reducing exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and giving customers more predictable electricity, with the system storing excess wind power and releasing it when renewable generation drops and prices rise
- Ore Energy CEO Aytaç Yilmaz said European grids are already curtailing clean power at scale and burning fossil fuels to fill gaps, arguing that short-duration batteries 'shift solar by a few hours' but wind-heavy European grids need storage that works 'across days, not hours'
Why it matters: If Ore Energy delivers the 1 GWh system on schedule, it would give a European utility a commercially deployed, multi-day iron-air battery for the first time — directly addressing the curtailment-and-fossil-backup problem Yilmaz flags, while sidestepping the critical-mineral supply chain that constrains lithium-ion scaling.
