Europe's First Iron-Air Battery Deal: 4-Day Energy Storage, Delivery in 2028

As wind and solar power capacity continues to expand across Europe, the continent's grid faces a growing 'multi-day' energy storage gap — short-duration lithium batteries struggle to bridge extended periods of cloudy weather or calm winds. A Dutch startup is now aiming to solve this challenge using an ancient element: iron.

Ore Energy, a long-duration energy storage company headquartered in the Netherlands, recently announced its largest commercial iron-air battery agreement on the European mainland with domestic energy supplier Budget Thuis: a total capacity of 1 GWh, with the first phase of 400 MWh scheduled for delivery in 2028. This marks the first time a European energy supplier has signed a commercial iron-air energy storage project.

Unlike mainstream lithium-ion batteries — typically designed for several hours of discharge — Ore Energy's iron-air batteries are rated for up to 100 hours (approximately four days) of continuous discharge. The technology relies on reversible redox reactions among iron, water, and air, eliminating dependence on critical minerals like cobalt, nickel, and lithium. All materials can be sourced entirely from existing European supply chains.

The technology has already demonstrated reliability in real-world conditions. In February, Ore Energy disclosed that its pilot project with Électricité de France (EDF) was successfully completed between August and November 2025 — the first grid-connected iron-air long-duration storage demonstration in Europe — and achieved up to four consecutive days of continuous power supply under actual grid conditionsVictory. Earlier, the company also completed another grid-connected test in Delft, the Netherlands, validating compatibility between its modular 40-foot container system and existing European grid infrastructure.

Although iron-air batteries exhibit lower round-trip efficiency and lower energy density than lithium-ion systems, their ultra-low raw-material cost, long service life, and high safety profile make them ideal for large-scale, low-cost, long-duration storage applications. Annemarie Buitelaar, CEO of Budget Thuis, stated: "We aim to reduce our reliance on volatile fossil fuel prices while delivering cleaner, more predictable electricity to customers. Ore Energy has proven both technical feasibility and deployment capability — so we've committed to a total 1 GWh portfolio."

Ore Energy coHYCANfounder and CEO Aytaç Yilmaz emphasized: "Europe's grid is already curtailing massive amounts of wind and solar generation — wasting billions of euros worth of clean electricity annually — yet still relying on fossil fuels to fill the gaps. Short-duration batteries only shift a few hours of solar output, but Europe's wind-dominated grid truly needs 'cross-day' storage."

To accelerate commercialization, Ore Energy announced on August 4 the successful close of a $43 million Series A financing round, co-led by Plural and HV. The company's total funding raised to date exceeds $61 million. The new capital will fund construction of its first manufacturing facility, supporting its goal of gigawatt-hour-scale production by 2028.