Hungary’s MAVIR commissions 60 MWh battery energy storage system

MAVIR, the Hungarian electricity transmission system operator (TSO), put into operation a battery energy storage system, BESS, of 20 MW in capability and a three-hour cycle. It will help grid security and the integration of renewable energy sources.

After entering the world’s top ten in photovoltaic capacity per capita, Hungary is picking up pace in terms of batteries as well. Energy storage units are coming online to maintain grid stability and bridge the hours between the peaks of daily solar power production and electricity consumption. Transmission system operator MAVIR commissioned a BESS of 20 MW in operating power and a three-hour cycle, translating to 60 MWh in capacity.

The EUR 20.3 million project received support in the form of a grant via the European Union. MET Group also put into operation a similarly-sized BESS last month in Hungary, while MOL Group launched construction of another one.

MAVIR’s battery energy storage system is in Szolnok, southeast from the capital Budapest. The company picked Forest-Vill as the contractor in late 2023. They signed the contract in February 2024. The same firm built MET Group’s BESS and also used equipment from Huawei Technologies.

Investors in BESS in Hungary are benefiting from EU grants

MAVIR’s new facility will contribute to grid security and a more efficient integration of renewable energy sources and support a sustainable, green future, said Deputy Minister of Energy and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy Gábor Czepek.

The government’s EUR 45.1 million subsidy program for residential and corporate investments resulted in the installation of 12,000 batteries in households of 109 MWh in total, the official pointed out. Hungary now hosts 114 MW in battery capability.

Czepek estimated that the grants would bring 1 GW online by 2030, as targeted. Another call, of EUR 12.5 million, will soon be launched for energy storage for the industrial sector, he stressed.

Notably, the Ministry of Energy said solar power production reached 6.25 GW around noon on June 25. It was more than the country’s entire electricity demand at the time, it added. The same kind of record was observed a few days earlier in Bulgaria.