Monsson Group to install 1.5 GWh of battery storage by 2030

Monsson is preparing independent projects and partnerships for the installation of battery energy storage systems (BESS) of 1.5 GWh in total by the end of the decade. The Romanian company has 260 MWh under construction.

The wind power sector looks ripe for another construction wave in Romania. Paired with the solar power boom, underway for the last couple of years, it is also boosting demand for energy storage facilities. In the energy transition, battery technology is among the factors necessary to bridge the gap between weather-dependent power output and demand from businesses, households and institutions. Monsson Group isn’t about to miss the opportunity.

The company controlled by Swedish-Monégasque investor Emanuel Muntmark has a 1.5 GWh BESS project portfolio, Ziarul Financial reported. It aims to complete it by 2030. All the intermittent renewable electricity coming online and battery requirements for prosumers have created a solid business case.

BESS costs between EUR 350,000 per MWh and EUR 450,000 per MWh, the article reads. Monsson Group has a target of some 200 MWh per year, said Sebastian Enache, head of mergers and acquisitions. He added that 260 MWh is under construction.

The portfolio is valued at a minimum of EUR 525 million, the news outlet noted. It added that the company would run the projects both independently and with partners.

Romania’s first wind-solar-BESS hybrid project is owned by Monsson Group

Monsson Group sells mature projects, like the 600 MW Fântânele-Cogealac wind farm, or completes them. Of note, Greece’s Public Power Corp. is acquiring the facility, which was the largest of its kind in Europe at the time. Commissioned in 2012, it consists of 240 turbines.

Romania hosts only one standalone BESS

In cooperation with Prime Batteries, Monsson Group put into operation the largest BESS unit in Romania in April. Moreover, it is part of a hybrid project with wind and solar power, the country’s first. The plan is to expand the battery segment to 216 MWh by 2025.

Monsson participated in one of the largest solar power projects in Europe with batteries. It recently sold its 10% stake to Rezolv Energy, now the sole owner. The Dama Solar site is in Pilu-Grăniceri area in Arad in western Romania. However, Monsson apparently kept the land.

Romania hosts only one standalone BESS, of 7 MW, according to the report. Its operator is Megalodon Storage. The facility is located in Căciulați in the Moara Vlăsiei commune, Ilfov county, near Bucharest. Core Value Capital owns a third of the firm while most of the remainder belongs to Austrian investors. Gerdan Real Estate (33.34%) is controlled by executives from LSG Group. Photovoltaics operator Green Source controls 24.33%.

OMV Petrom to add battery facility to its photovoltaic system

Oil and gas company OMV Petrom is becoming a player in the BESS scene, too. It told Profit.ro that its future 89 MW solar power plant would be integrated with a battery system of 18 MW in operating power and a storage capacity of 36 MWh.

The photovoltaic part will consist of 175,214 panels and 424 inverters, according to the company. It scheduled the start of construction for 2026, expecting to finish it in 2027.

The location is in Ișalnița, where OMV Petrom also has a solar power project with Complexul Energetic Oltenia. The partner company is undergoing a major transformation. CE Oltenia mines coal for its thermal power plants, but Romania seems determined to phase out the solid fossil fuel within two years.