Macquarie Asset Management-owned Eku Energy plans to expand further into Europe following the acquisition of its first asset in Germany this June, COO Tom Best told Infralogic.

The UK-headquartered battery storage developer plans to use its London office – operating akin to a “hub and spoke model” – to launch into the rest of Europe rather than set up country-specific offices, he said.

There are a number of interesting markets in Europe, he said, adding that Eku has teams working across the continent in various roles, including business development in Switzerland, and Denmark. He did not provide details.

This June, Eku acquired the 400 MW/1.6 GWh Dion BESS in Germany’s Lamspringe municipality in Lower Saxony, marking its entry in its sixth global market. The project is scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2029.

Eku, which is jointly owned by British Columbia Investment Corporation, also plans to deepen its project pipeline in the UK, where it is focusing on bigger projects that are transmission-connected, said Best.

Earlier this month, Eku sold its first wave of operational assets in the UK – a 107 MW portfolio comprising three distribution-connected assets – located closer to electricity demand centres and grid infrastructure in southeast England, according to media reports.

NextEnergy UK announced the acquisition without naming the seller.

While Eku Energy acquired its first transmission-connected project in the UK – the 300 MW/600 MWh Didcot BESS project – this July, it has experience with high-voltage transmission-connected projects in Australia including the 200 MW / 400 MWh Rangebank BESS near Melbourne, Victoria.

With 25.1 GWh in active delivery, according to its website, Eku has already blown past its 2028 target of 9 GWh. While the developer has not formally revised its target as yet, it does have larger ambitions now, said Best, adding that the company’s project pipeline has increased faster than it initially anticipated.

Eku also continues to progress its portfolio in Italy through various stages of planning and approvals, said Best.

In Australia, it expects planning and other approvals to come through later this year for its 300 MW/1.16 GWh Byellee BESS project, following which it will launch a debt raise process either in the fourth quarter or in the first quarter of 2027, he added.