Financing BESS: What Banks Accept — and Where Deals Break

Recording from Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | Battery Business & Development Forum | Language: English | Duration: 66:07 .

Debt for battery storage is available, but conditions are changing as merchant exposure increases and revenue structures become more complex. This session brings together banks, developers, offtakers and investors to discuss what is currently financeable, how contracts are structured in practice, and where expectations diverge.

What you will discuss:

How much merchant exposure banks are currently willing to accept
What makes a tolling agreement truly bankable in practice
Where expectations between banks, offtakers and developers typically diverge
How financing structures change when revenue uncertainty increases
Whether refinancing and new structures can unlock projects without long-term contracts
At what point a project becomes too risky even for equity

Moderator

Ann Cocquyt
Director - PPA & BESS Transactions
Pexapark

Speaker

Marcus Starke
Director Energy Origination
NORD/LB

Ruben Valiente
Managing Director
MAXXEN ENERGY AG

Alexander Drousiotis
Vice President Structured Finance Energy
Santander Corporate & Investment Banking

Mikko Preuss
Chief Commercial Officer
terralayrGrace Kankindi

Grace Kankindi
Deputy Head of Investment Management
Aquila Clean Energy

Coen Hutters
Energy Transition Specialist
Rabobank

Nils van Afferden
Asset Originator Flexibilities and Batteries
RWE
Supply & Trading GmbH

Maxime Nekoian
Finance Director
Gresham House

Mark van Zon
Senior Director
ABN AMRO

Further Content

Battery Business & Development Forum

BESS Routes-to-Market in Europe: Merchant, Capacity, and Tolling — What Works Where

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 11:45am–1:00pm

This session breaks down the three dominant routes-to-market in Europe and examines where they work in practice, how they are structured, and what risks they carry.

Battery Business & Development Forum

Capital Flows into BESS: Where Investors Put Money and What They Expect Now

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 10:00am–11:15am

Capital for battery storage is available — but it is becoming more selective.

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Deep Dive: Resilient Grids with Grid-Forming Batteries: Market Opportunities and Technical Pathways

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 11:45am–1:00pm

This session highlights their growing role in grid stability, including grid-forming, voltage control, congestion management and system support across transmission and distribution networks.

Battery Business & Development Forum

Deep Dive Germany 1 | Grid Access in Germany: FCA, Grid Fees and Market Perspectives

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:45pm–5:00pm

This session brings together regulators, grid operators and developers to discuss how the system currently works and where it is heading.

Battery Business & Development Forum

European Success Stories – What Drives Storage Deployment?

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:45pm–5:00pm

From the UK to Italy and Bulgaria, this session highlights the policies, business models, and financing strategies powering Europe’s most dynamic storage markets.