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- AnalysisAnalysis
Wärtsilä and RCT Solutions will establish a 50:50 joint venture for Wärtsilä’s global energy storage business
The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2026 and will end Energy Storage’s status as a separate reporting segment
The joint venture is forecast to be loss-making in 2026, but is expected to generate positive results by late 2027
Finland-based technology group Wärtsilä has agreed to establish a 50:50 joint venture (JV) with German engineering company RCT Solutions GmbH for its global energy storage business.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, customary conditions, and financing arrangements.
The JV will include Wärtsilä’s energy storage operations, which generated net sales of €694 million in 2025 and employed around 480 people worldwide. The business provides utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), optimization software, control systems, and lifecycle support services.
According to Wärtsilä, the partnership is intended to strengthen the competitiveness of its energy storage business by combining its technology, customer base, and project experience with RCT Solutions’ engineering expertise, supply-chain knowledge, and battery manufacturing initiatives in the US.
As part of the arrangement, the Finnish company’s energy storage unit will no longer be reported as a separate business segment from the second quarter of 2026. Until the transaction closes, it will be classified as discontinued operations and assets held for sale.
The JV is expected to record losses in 2026 due to lower recent order intake and transformation-related costs, including write-downs of capitalized R&D. Wärtsilä estimates a negative impact of €40 million to €50 million on its full-year 2026 operating result. The new company is expected to move into positive territory toward the end of 2027.
Following completion of the transaction, RCT Solutions CEO Peter Fath is expected to lead the JV, while RCT’s existing solar PV engineering and technology business will continue operating independently.
“For RCT Solutions, this is a positive signal from Konstanz for Germany and Europe: global clean-energy markets need technology, experience and implementation strength, and European engineering continues to have an important role to play,” stated RCT.
