ENGIE and Return Sign Landmark 100 Megawatt Flexibility Agreement in Germany

Köln / Amsterdam - ENGIE and Return are pleased to announce the signature of a long-term virtual flexibility purchase agreement (vFPA) in Germany, starting in 2027. The agreement covers 100 MW of virtual BESS capacity and is the largest full fixed price vFPA concluded in Europe to date.

The agreement is supported by a distributed portfolio of battery energy storage systems (BESS) across Germany. Return will aggregate these assets through its proprietary technology platform, providing ENGIE with access to flexibility from a single virtual portfolio.
 

Enabling Market-Integrated Flexibility

Through the vFPA structure, ENGIE can secure flexibility capacity. The flexibility is aggregated within a single virtual portfolio and made available to the market, supporting the balancing of electricity supply and demand as renewable generation fluctuates. Hereby, ENGIE will optimise the flexibility on both the wholesale electricity market as well as the markets for ancillary services. The agreement also supports ENGIE’s ambition to deliver 24/7 green power solutions for its downstream clients.

Germany represents a key market for Return, given its large renewable energy base and rapidly growing demand for flexibility. The agreement forms part of Return’s broader European expansion, alongside markets such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Backed by APG, Return has the financial capacity to scale its portfolio across these countries.

ENGIE brings its advanced trading, structuring and origination expertise to support the growth of flexibility assets in Germany. The long-term contractual structure also strengthens investment certainty for battery storage projects.
 

Partnership for the energy transition

A partnership for the energy transition built on local expertise, but with the goal to expand in Europe. The collaboration demonstrates how battery storage can help Europe meet its decarbonization goals by enabling more renewables on the grid and improving grid stability. The partnership sets a new benchmark for how flexibility is contracted and traded across European energy markets.

ENGIE and Return intend to expand their partnership to European countries and sign further Flexibility Purchase Agreements in the coming years.

Martin Daronnat – Head of Flexibility and Structured Origination, Germany, says:
”This vFPA marks a major milestone in the flexibility space in Europe. It represents a step forward in our ability to deliver green power to our customers, as a complement to our renewable assets. We are pleased to partner with Return on a project that pushes the boundaries of what flexibility purchase agreements can achieve.”

Flip van der Weijden – Head of Growth adds:
“This agreement is a major step in building a functioning flexibility market in Europe. It reflects our approach to grow where we can deliver real value through local expertise, strong assets and scalable technology. We are pleased to partner with ENGIE as we continue expanding across Europe.”

Bundled storage capacity helps balance electricity supply and demand when there are fluctuations in renewable energy generation.