French bank BNP Paribas and European infrastructure technology company Eclipse have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement designed to accelerate the deployment and financing of battery energy storage systems ( BESS ) across Europe.

The agreement, the companies say, includes a strategic equity investment in Eclipse by BNP Paribas and establishes a joint framework to provide financing, hedging and long-term offtake solutions for industrial-scale battery storage assets.

Eclipse, it notes, currently maintains a development pipeline of 16 projects across France and Belgium totalling 850 megawatts of capacity.

Through this partnership, the two organizations, they share, intend to combine Eclipse’s battery optimization and development capabilities with BNP Paribas’ structuring expertise and credit strength to support asset financing, merchant risk management and energy resilience initiatives across European power markets.

The collaboration, according to the companies, is structured to address both operational optimization and financial structuring of BESS.

The infra tech company also  contributes proprietary trading and optimization technology through its Flowstream platform, which connects directly to European power exchanges to enable real-time asset optimization and revenue stacking strategies.

Electricity demand in Europe, according to the companies, continues to rise due to electrification of transport, buildings and industrial processes, alongside population growth.

Renewable generation is expected to account for nearly all incremental demand growth in coming decades, requiring enhanced system flexibility and storage capacity to maintain grid stability.

BESS are increasingly viewed as critical infrastructure for balancing intermittent renewable generation, supporting grid services and enabling revenue stacking across wholesale, ancillary and capacity markets.

“The partnership with BNP Paribas will enable us to deliver long-term revenue solutions to our clients,” says Augustin Derville, Eclipse co-founder and CEO, “and robust asset financing to support the growth of battery storage across Europe.”

Olivier Osty, deputy COO, BNP Paribas Group and CEO, BNP Paribas CIB, adds: “By combining Eclipse’s expertise in industrial-scale battery storage with our financial and structuring capabilities, we are developing solutions to help utilities, IPPs [independent power producers] and corporates navigate the transition, while contributing to the EU’s broader objectives of energy resilience and strategic autonomy.”