Switzerland Builds World's Most Powerful Redox-Flow Battery

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A Swiss firm is constructing what it claims is the world's most powerful redox‐flow battery, designed to store vast amounts of renewable energy and help stabilise both the Swiss and European power grids. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Switzerland builds world's most powerful redox-flow battery This content was published on April 7, 2026 - 10:36 4 minutes RTS

The FlexBase groupExternal link is currently excavating a 27-metre-deep pit – longer than two football pitches – in Laufenburg, canton Aargau, to house the underground battery installation.

“We will be able to inject or absorb up to 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity in a few milliseconds, equivalent to the power of the Leibstadt nuclear power plant [also in canton Aargau near the German border],” co-founder Marcel Aumer told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

The mammoth battery storage system is part of a future Laufenburg Technology CentreExternal link, a 20,000m2 complex including an AI data centre, offices and laboratories.

FlexBase plans to put its giant battery into operation in 2029 and hopes to generate around 300 jobs. Privately financed, the project carries a price tag ranging from CHF1-5 billion ($1.2-6.2 billion).

Watch our short video about the Laufenburg redox-flow battery project.

How redox-flow batteries work

Unlike lithium‐ion batteries, which store energy in solid electrodes, redox‐flow batteries use liquid electrolytes.

Giant tanks hold the liquid electrolytes, while stacks of cells above them convert the stored chemical energy into electricity.

The system is recharged using surplus renewable electricity – mainly solar and wind – which feeds energy back into the grid during peak demand.

Vital component of future grid

Swissgrid, operator of the national high‐voltage network, plans to connect to the Laufenburg site – marking a first for Switzerland.

Swissgrid believes large batteries like these will become a key component of Switzerland's future grid network.

“Large batteries can store energy when there is a lot of it and release it when it is needed. So in the future, with wind production that will fluctuate according to the weather, having this flexibility can help stabilise the grid,” explained Gabriele Crivelli, a Swissgrid spokesperson.

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