Photo: Pavel S from Pixabay
Renewable energy companies from abroad aren’t intimidated by negative power prices in Romania, especially with the battery storage segment accelerating. Energy giants EDP Renewables and Engie have new solar power plants, and more renewable energy facilities are coming online, while the government is disbursing European grants.
The renewable energy market in Greece is consolidating and a number of foreign investors are leaving, but some other countries in the region that Balkan Green Energy News tracks remain attractive, especially Romania and Turkey. Big names from abroad keep coming, and the established ones are commissioning facilities and committing to more projects.
Like elsewhere in Europe and beyond, the increasing occurrence of low, zero and negative power prices are impacting the sentiment in Romania. But funding from the European Union, the government’s administrative support, renewable energy auctions and bets on battery storage seemingly outweigh the current risks.
EDPR’s new photovoltaic park Albina will generate 67 GWh per year
EDP Renewables (EDPR), subsidiary of Portuguese energy giant EDP, recently inaugurated its Albina photovoltaic plant. Located in western Romania, just outside of the city of Timisoara, the renewable energy unit came online late last year.
Albina has 60 MW in peak capacity and a 48.8 MW grid connection. The company expects it to generate 67 GWh per year. EDP said that with the new plant it reinforces its commitment to Romania. It operates wind and solar power plants in the country of over 570 MW in combined capacity.
Engie praises renewable energy potential in Romania
Engie Romania commissioned the sixth photovoltaic park in its portfolio. It is located in the commune of Ariceștii Rahtivani in Prahova county. Together with the new facility, of 37.2 MW in peak capacity, French Engie’s branch in Romania now has 248 MW in renewable energy in operation.
The site covers 57 hectares. Estimated annual output is 57 GWh. The firm owns three wind farms of 178 MW in total while its six PV systems have 70.3 MW in overall peak capacity. Last year it built one of the first hybrid power plants in the country.
Engie Romania said the new plant strengthened its position and praised the country’s “significant potential” in the renewable energy segment. The firm targets 1 GW in the country by 2030. It also distributes natural gas and supplies both gas and electricity, and offers energy services.
Rezolv building one of largest wind power plants in Europe
The Vifor wind farm in Buzău county, northeast of Bucharest, is almost half done. Rezolv Energy plans to finish it in 2027. The first phase is for 192 MW, with a planned expansion to a colossal 461 MW.
The company purchased Vestas turbines for the wind park, which is set to become the largest in Europe and the second-largest in Romania. The developer won a fixed electricity price for 15 years in the form of a contract for difference at the country’s renewable energy auction. The wind power plant will also benefit from a power purchase agreement (PPA).
Wind farm of 99.2 MW Galaţi in to launch operations next year
OX2 is building the Green Breeze wind farm, delivering the project as a turnkey construction project for the investor, Nala Renewables. The project involves 16 Vestas V162-6.2 MW turbines, or 99.2 MW altogether. Annual production at the future wind power plant in Galaţi in the eastern part of the country is 312 GWh, according to the estimate.
The facility is on schedule for the start of operations in the first half of next year. Together with Green Breeze, OX2 is working on 620 MW in five wind power projects. The Swedish company has said it intends to grow and diversify in the country.
Enery from Austria lining up renewable electricity plants in Romania
Romania-based Enevo announced that it started building a solar park of 54.2 MW in peak capacity for Enery Development.
Also in Dâmbovița county, Enery Element, the joint venture of the Austrian company with Element Power Group, has a project for a battery-backed PV park.
Total investment is some EUR 27.5 million, of which EUR 2.4 million is from the EU’s Modernisation Fund. The solar power component is 74 MW and the battery energy storage system (BESS) would provide 10.2 MWh in capacity. The location, formally run by project firm Gura Solar Plant, is in the Gura Ocniței commune.
Ecoener, headquartered in Spain, is developing an agrivoltaic project of 11 MW
A Spanish group with an annual turnover of almost EUR 100 million wants to build the first agrisolar park in Iași county, in the commune of Țibănești. Solar panels of 11 MW in total peak capacity would be placed 1.5 meters above ground. The investor, Ecoener, established a Romanian subsidiary for the endeavor: Ecoener Țibănești.
Greece’s PPC turning its wind, PV facilities into hybrid power plants with battery storage
Greek state-controlled Public Power Corp. (PPC) is developing a BESS investment through its firm Sun Challenge, which operates the Lumina solar power project in Călugăreni, Giurgiu county. The PV facility of 63 MW in peak capacity has been online for two years now. Lumina is PPC Renewables’ largest solar power unit in Romania.
It is one in a string of the Greek company’s energy storage projects. PPC plans BESS at its wind farms Topolog (27 MWh), Corugea (80 MWh) and Sălbatica (60 MWh) in Tulcea county. It slated another 120 MWh in total storage capacity at wind power plants Nicolae Bălcescu and Târgușor in Constanța county.
PPC operates wind, photovoltaic and hydropower capacity in Romania of 1.3 GW overall
The Fântânele-Cogealac-Gradina wind farm, which PPC took over from Macquarie Asset Management, already includes a BESS facility. The 600 MW facility is the largest in Romania of its kind.
In Prahova, PPC Renewables Romania plans a 10 MWh storage system at the Berceni 1 photovoltaic park, with an installed capacity of 9.8 MW. Another storage system, of 8 MWh, would be integrated with the Colibași photovoltaic park (7 MW) in Giurgiu county.
PPC operates wind, photovoltaic and hydropower capacity in Romania of 1.3 GW overall.
Turkey-based YEO Technologies, Danish company Eurowind Energy and Solarpro, a contractor from neighboring Bulgaria, all have new investment updates, too.
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