The Ministry of Energy of Romania announced that a total of 150 million euros have been allocated from the European Union Modernization Fund for the financing of electricity storage capacity. The new public call is part of Romania’s strategic initiative aimed at supporting the development of capacities for the production and storage of electricity from RES called “Key Program 1 – Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Storage”.
As further stated in the announcement, the goal of the public call is to support investments in electricity storage systems that are connected to existing facilities for the production of energy from renewable sources, including hydroelectric power plants. According to the rules, warehouses will have to absorb at least 75 percent of energy from connected renewable sources annually.
Sebastijan Burduž, Minister of Energy, stated that energy storage is crucial to balancing the energy system and ensuring stability even when renewable sources, such as wind and solar, are not available.
“Storage is the zero priority of the national energy system. It enables the use of green energy even when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, it contributes to balancing the system and will mean lower bills for Romanians and for Romanian companies. The appeal launched today is in addition to grants of over 13 billion euros attracted during my tenure as Minister of Energy for investments that are revolutionizing the Romanian energy sector. With the completion of these projects, Romania will have more energy, will no longer depend on others in terms of imports and will be able to support a competitive economy, with better-paid jobs and lower bills for domestic consumers,” Burduž pointed out.
Applications for funding will be open from November 19, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. to January 17, 2025 at 5:00 p.m., via the MiSMIS2021 electronic platform. Projects will be evaluated based on the euro/MWh criteria.
Advanced storage system within the solar park “Sarmasag”.
In Romania, one of the most significant electricity storage projects was recently realized, located within the “Sarmasag” solar park.
The capacity of the advanced battery energy storage system is 22 MWh, while the solar plant has an installed capacity of 51.4 MW. The investment worth 52.5 million euros was financed with the support of the Ministry of Energy through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with grants of 13.7 million euros.
The Solar Park “Sarmasag” provides answers to current challenges in the energy sector, combining energy production and storage, which increases the stability of the system and encourages further investment in renewable energy sources, according to the Ministry’s announcement.
Milena Maglovski
Source: energetskiportal.rs
