Italy's storage capacity mechanism MACSE holds its second auction on 24 November 2026 at 10:00, for plants entering service in 2029. Terna's requirement, approved by the MASE, is 16 GWh of new lithium-ion storage — up from the 10 GWh contracted on 30 September 2025 for 2028 at an average premium of about 13,000 €/MWh-year. Indicative zonal ranges are 3–11.5 GWh for Sud e Calabria, 1–6 GWh for Sicilia, 1–3 GWh for Centro Sud and 0.5–3 GWh for Sardegna, nothing in the North; Terna publishes the final contingents in the 20 days before the auction (notice of 4 November 2026). Non-reference technologies may take at most 10 % of the national volume.
Winners receive a fixed annual premium for 15 years (30 for pumped hydro) under a pay-as-bid format and hand the batteries' time-shifting capacity to the system. Admission requests ran from 7 to 27 July 2026, with portal data due by 10 September. ARERA resolution 332/2026/R/eel of 24 September 2026 set the maximum premium at 27,000 €/MWh-year, below the 37,000 €/MWh-year of the first round.
For installers: MACSE is a utility-scale EPC market — position as a subcontractor for BESS balance-of-plant and expect 2027–2029 demand for large LFP containers, transformers and MV switchgear in the South.
An information digest prepared from official announcements and industry press; conditions change — always check the official source and the date of the entry before advising a customer.
