ATENA+ (Advanced Technology for stationary Energy storage systems in Na-ion) is a Horizon Europe project focused on developing a new generation of sodium-ion batteries for stationary energy storage.
The project brings together leading European industrial players and research institutions to demonstrate safe, sustainable, and cost-effective battery solutions at pre-industrial scale (TRL 7), fully developed and manufactured in Europe.
Total project cost: €6,999,684.64
Why it matters
Energy storage is one of the main bottlenecks of the energy transition.
Today’s battery technologies depend on critical raw materials like lithium and cobalt—expensive, volatile, and often sourced outside Europe. This creates both economic and geopolitical risks.
ATENA+ addresses this challenge by advancing sodium-ion batteries: a technology based on abundant materials, with the potential to reduce costs, increase safety, and strengthen Europe’s energy independence.
What the project does
ATENA+ works across the full battery value chain—from materials to system integration.
The project focuses on:
- Developing advanced active materials with improved performance and lower environmental impact
- Designing safer and more repairable battery cells and modules
- Optimising manufacturing processes for scalability and sustainability
- Integrating advanced battery management systems (BMS) with monitoring and control features
- Testing the technology in real operating conditions and virtually scaling it to full energy storage systems (BESS)
Expected impact
ATENA+ aims to make sodium-ion batteries a viable alternative to lithium-based technologies.
This means:
- More affordable and scalable energy storage solutions
- Reduced dependency on critical raw materials
- Increased resilience of the European energy system
- Faster integration of renewable energy through reliable storage
Ultimately, the project contributes to building a competitive and fully European battery industry.
Engreen’s role
Engreen focuses on bridging technology with real-world application.
Within ATENA+, Engreen:
- Analyses technical, economic, and regulatory conditions for deployment
- Supports the validation and upscaling of the technology to full energy storage systems
- Works on replication scenarios, including applications in emerging contexts such as healthcare infrastructure in Africa
The role is to ensure that the solution is not only developed—but applicable, scalable, and transferable.
Consortium
ATENA+ brings together a consortium of leading research institutions and industrial players across Europe, working jointly to develop, manufacture, and validate next-generation sodium-ion battery technologies for real-world energy storage applications.
Coordinator
- CIDETEC
Partners
- SAFT
- Topsoe
- Stora Enso
- E-Lyte Innovations
- Iberdrola Renovables Energía
- ZSW – Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
- VITO
- Life Cycle Engineering
- Fondazione ICONS
- Engreen
Target countries
France, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Italy
Official website: https://atenaplus.eu/
