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As moderator Lars Stephan of Fluence rightly stressed at the outset, opinions and solutions will differ – and inevitably so, depending on the role, mandate and interests of each actor. 🟣 The discussion on “How to Solve Congestion?” at #ESEC2026 made that clear but, importantly also the value of listening to each other in exchanges – like at this conference – in order to find solutions. 🎙️ Karsten Bakker of Elia Group stressed that congestion is not static: its timing, location, duration and severity evolve. That calls for hardware and software to develop in parallel, alongside connection arrangements and market signals that can adapt to changing system needs. 🎙️ From the regulatory perspective, Timon Dubbeling of the The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets highlighted the challenge of encouraging congestion-friendly behaviour while preserving bankability. 🎙️ And from the storage side, Pierre Bayart of BSTOR argued that BESS should be seen as part of the solution. Grid reinforcement remains essential, but it takes time. Flexibility can help manage congestion now – potentially avoiding renewable curtailment, industrial load shedding or connection refusals. That flexibility, however, needs the right framework: fair compensation for the opportunity costs of operating differently, and flexible connection arrangements that do not undermine the bankability of storage projects. 💡 There is no single answer yet – and the discussion is far from done. What is clear is that Europe needs both: stronger grids for the long term, and flexibility that can help solve congestion today. The challenge is finding the rules that make both work together.

The ambition is there. But can we make the investment case predictable enough to unlock both? 🟣 That was the central question in “Financing Energy Storage at Scale: Turning Benelux Ambitions into Reality” at #ESEC2026. 🎙️ Erik van Veen of Rabobank brought the perspective of a lender with extensive experience financing battery storage across Europe. 🎙️ James Mills of Adaptogen Capital stressed the scale of the challenge: the next phase of storage deployment will require the largest institutional investors and funds – and the complexity of larger projects should not be underestimated. That means investors need to understand the sector better. Uncertainty remains a major barrier. 🎙️ For Cedric Degreef of Dentons, the prerequisites for every final investment decision are clear: certainty of delivery, visibility of revenues and a clear allocation of risk. Permitting and grid connections remain key bottlenecks. 🎙️ Britt R. of Return highlighted some of the practical questions facing the Dutch market – from grid tariffs and connection lead times to flexible connection agreements, congestion remuneration and tariff exemptions. Her message captures the ambition well: Let’s make the energy market boringly reliable. 💡 That may sound simple. It is not. But the panel made one thing clear: if the Benelux wants to turn its storage ambitions into reality, answering uncertainty will be key – giving investors the confidence and visibility they need to bring capital to the scale the energy system requires. Special thank you to the session moderator Marc Vermylen from Loyens & Loeff.

🟣 The #Benelux has the opportunity to build a major storage market – but the rules will determine how much of that opportunity is realised. That was the central message from the panel “Benelux Energy Storage Market: State of Play and the Road Ahead” at #ESEC2026. 🎙️ Simon De Clercq of Aurora Energy Research highlighted the changing investment case for BESS: grid restrictions and especially fees are creating new risks, while gas-price volatility creates new opportunities. How much BESS gets build depends as much on greed regime as on markets; policy reform would allow large scale BESS to grow to over 10 GW in 2040. 🎙️ Kathleen Dingenen of GIGA Storage put the emphasis on getting the incentives right: the answer is not less flexibility, but better-steered and better-rewarded flexibility. That means TSOs, DSOs, regulators and developers need to be around the same table early – before the rules are set. 🎙️ Ivo van Dam of BayWa r.e. and GroenLeven took the regional perspective further: one Benelux flexibility market, not two. Cross-border planning, better queue management and being honest about where value is created will be essential. According to him, the message for the Benelux is therefore clear: storage needs to be treated as infrastructure, planned across borders and supported by market rules that make the investment case bankable. The discussion was joined by Michel Verschuere from Yuso and moderated by Remy Baraka Balegamire from Cluster TWEED. 💡 And probably the most important takeaway from the discussion: batteries can help turn today's grid queues into a cheaper, more secure and more flexible Benelux energy system – if the system is designed to let them.

Made in Europe: more secure — but at what cost, and where should Europe draw the line? 🎙️ A highly dynamic debate at #ESEC2026 on the European Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act proposal – and a question that is proving anything but straightforward. 🎙️ The discussion highlighted that strengthening European manufacturing cannot come at the expense of affordability or deployment speed. For energy storage, the debate also needs to go beyond battery cells and recognise the strategic value of system integration, critical components and the flexibility, stability and resilience that storage provides to Europe’s energy system. 👉 The session was joined by Jacek Truszczynski from the European Commission, Min Y. from Deye ESS Europe, Franz-Josef Feilmeier from FENECON, and moderated by Patrick Clerens, Secretary General at Energy Storage Europe. #EnergyStorage #MadeInEurope #IndustrialPolicy #EnergySecurity #Manufacturing #Competitiveness #SupplyChains #EnergyTransition

🟣 At #ESEC2026, the session “Benelux Policy Outlook: What is at Stake and What Comes Next for Energy Storage?” looked at the policy priorities shaping storage deployment across Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Grid access and Flexible Connection Agreements (FCAs) are key issues for the Benelux region. 🎙️ Marco Rot from Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat highlighted the need for innovation and monitoring targets, including for climate policies. However, data is not easy to access: while the storage sector provides data, connection data from grid operators, especially on household batteries, is difficult to obtain. 🎙️ Sofie Van den waeyenberg from CREG - Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation - Belgium said that Belgium has laid the foundations for a new tariff methodology specifically targeting FCAs, an instrument for using the transmission grid more efficiently. The Belgian NRA also provides incentives for the TSOs to implement FCAs and to develop capacity maps. Further work to reform and update grid connection procedures in favour of mature projects is planned throughout 2027. 🎙️ Xavier Hansen from Ministère de l'Économie - Luxembourg noted that, although Luxembourg is heavily dependent on energy imports, the government is committed to reaching its climate targets and decarbonising. The government expects flexibility needs to increase and sees storage as key to meeting them. Financial incentives and co-location for storage will be addressed in the coming years. Luxembourg also has a dedicated storage strategy that sets out key targets for the growing storage sector. The session was moderated by Patrick Clerens, Secretary General of Energy Storage Europe. #EnergyStorage #Benelux #EnergyPolicy #Flexibility #EnergyTransition #CrossBorderCooperation

Day 2 at the Energy Storage Europe Conference 2026, and the focus turned to the market. From Made-in-Europe manufacturing and capacity markets to flexible connection, trading models and the reshaping of storage finance, the conversations were all about what makes storage work commercially in Europe. Here's a look around the conference, with a few attendees on why this conference is worth being at. Tomorrow we close with Day 3: Benelux Day #ESEC2026 #EnergyStorage