For Site Partners
Blackvolt develops, permits, builds, and operates utility-scale battery storage across Austria. We work directly with landowners, municipalities, and industrial site holders to bring qualified land into the country's accelerating storage rollout.
Austria needs more than 5 GW of installed battery storage capacity by 2030 to integrate renewable generation reliably into the grid. Every megawatt of that target begins with a site. Without committed land, pipeline targets do not become operating infrastructure.
Battery storage stabilises the electricity grid by buffering surplus wind and solar generation and dispatching it on demand. It replaces fossil-fuelled reserve capacity and enables higher renewable feed-in without expanding the transmission network. For the partner who provides the land, a BESS project means modern infrastructure on the parcel — without emissions, without permanent heavy traffic, and without meaningful land sealing.
total project portfolio
permitted capacity
projects in development
Every utility-scale BESS site is unique, but qualified parcels share a clear profile. We evaluate land against the following criteria during initial assessment.
Typical project footprints range from 0.5 to 1.5 hectares for systems in the 18 to 36 MW class. Larger parcels enable phased development or multi-asset clusters.
Proximity to medium- or high-voltage grid infrastructure is the single strongest qualifier. Existing substations within feasible cable distance significantly improve project economics.
Brownfields, former industrial sites, logistics areas, and surplus parcels adjacent to grid infrastructure are highest priority. Agricultural land may qualify where zoning permits and the parcel meets technical requirements.
Industriegebiet, Sondergebiet, or parcels where a feasible re-zoning path exists. We support partners through the Flächenwidmung process where required.
Reliable vehicle access for construction and maintenance, relatively level terrain, and the absence of significant environmental sensitivities. Drainage and soil conditions are reviewed during technical due diligence.
Austria nationwide, with current concentration in Niederösterreich, Oberösterreich, and Salzburg. We evaluate sites across all federal states.
Site partnerships are not one-size-fits-all. The right structure depends on the landowner's objectives, the parcel's characteristics, and the local context. Three core models cover most situations.
01
The most common structure for landowners who wish to retain ownership. A long-term lease provides recurring income over the asset's full operating life — typically 20 to 25 years — with defined options for extension or end-of-life rollback. The landowner retains title; Blackvolt holds the operating rights.
02
For landowners seeking a clean exit, Blackvolt acquires the parcel outright. Suitable for owners with no strategic interest in retaining the land or where institutional structures favour a one-time transaction.
03
For communities and industrial holders with suitable plots, partnership structures can combine land use with regional benefits: municipal tax revenue, construction-phase value creation, and where applicable, on-site grid or energy services. Each partnership is structured around the specific objectives of the partner.
Commercial terms are confidential and negotiated on a case-by-case basis. We do not publish lease rates or transaction values — every site reflects its own location, grid access, and partnership context.
A utility-scale BESS project operates for 20 to 25 years. For lease partners, this translates into stable, contractually defined income across the full operating life — independent of agricultural or industrial market cycles.
The construction phase brings work for local civil engineering, electrical, and infrastructure contractors. During operations, ongoing maintenance and service activities are coordinated through Blackvolt Operations and Management GmbH — our wholly-owned subsidiary for operations and maintenance.
Every utility-scale storage site reduces dependency on fossil-fuelled reserve capacity. For municipalities and corporate site partners, this delivers a measurable, communicable contribution to national climate targets and regional energy resilience.
A BESS facility produces no emissions during operation, no odours, and no particulate output. At end-of-life, the site can be fully restored to its prior state, with rollback obligations contractually defined before construction begins.
Battery storage infrastructure is still unfamiliar to most landowners and communities. The questions that follow are direct and reasonable. Here are the technical realities.
A utility-scale battery storage system rated at 36 MW / 72 MWh occupies approximately 0.5 to 1 hectare — comparable to a large agricultural building footprint. The facility consists of standardised containers, inverters, and a transformer. There are no chimneys, no cooling towers, and no large-scale land sealing. Native planting and visual integration are standard across Blackvolt projects.
0.5 to 1 hectare
BESS facilities are technically unobtrusive. The containers resemble standard freight containers in size and shape, arranged in parallel rows on a fenced parcel. Hedges, earth berms, or screen planting integrate the site into the surrounding landscape. Visual presence is significantly lower than wind turbines or solar parks of equivalent capacity.
Low visual presence
Battery storage facilities operate emission-free: no exhaust, no odours, no particulates. Noise output, generated primarily by cooling systems, typically measures 40 to 50 dB(A) at the facility perimeter — comparable to a quiet conversation or refrigerator background noise. With siting on industrial or commercial-zoned parcels and adequate buffer distance to residential areas, perimeter noise is in practice imperceptible to neighbouring properties.
40 to 50 dB(A)
Blackvolt deploys exclusively LFP technology (lithium iron phosphate) — the most thermally stable battery chemistry for stationary storage. LFP cells are non-flammable under normal operating conditions and present significantly lower thermal event risk than other lithium-ion chemistries. Every facility includes a multi-layer fire protection concept, 24/7 remote monitoring, automatic suppression systems, and certification to current Austrian safety standards. Fire protection planning is coordinated directly with the local fire authority before construction begins.
LFP chemistry
Construction typically runs 6 to 12 months, depending on project scale. During this period, expect temporary construction traffic: container delivery, civil works, cable installation. After commissioning, traffic is limited to occasional maintenance vehicles. There is no permanent heavy traffic associated with operations.
6 to 12 months
Bringing a site from initial contact to operating infrastructure follows a defined sequence. Blackvolt carries the development risk and cost; the site partner is involved as a partner at each stage, without assuming developer obligations.
We introduce the project framework, answer technical and commercial questions, and assess whether there is mutual interest in proceeding. No commitments, no fees.
Technical analysis of grid capacity, parcel suitability, and environmental context. The site partner receives a transparent evaluation of whether the parcel qualifies and under what conditions.
Where required, we work with the partner and the relevant authorities to establish the zoning basis (Flächenwidmung). Blackvolt prepares and submits the supporting documentation.
Blackvolt manages the full permitting process — environmental impact assessment (UVP-G), fire protection concept, nature conservation review, and all regulatory submissions. The site partner is kept informed at each milestone.
A general contractor executes the build under Blackvolt's project management. Local contractors are engaged where qualified and competitive.
After commissioning, Blackvolt Operations and Management GmbH handles operations, maintenance, and compliance with safety standards over the full asset lifetime. The site partner relationship continues across the full lease or partnership term.
For most site partners, the permitting and community engagement phase is the most resource-intensive part of project development — and the part with the highest risk of stalling or failing. Blackvolt carries this end-to-end.
Before formal submission, we offer the site partner the option of a structured information session for relevant stakeholders: municipal council, neighbours, local press. We present the project, explain the technology, share visualisations of the planned facility, and answer questions directly. The session is delivered by senior project staff, not by an external PR function.
During the permitting phase, we maintain the site partner as a consistent point of contact. Progress, timing, and any material changes are communicated proactively. Community questions that arise during the permitting period are handled by Blackvolt, not delegated back to the site partner.
After commissioning, we remain available for inquiries over the full operating life of the asset. Our objective: every site partnership should be experienced as a long-term win, not a compromise.
Acceptance comes through information, not through speed.
