OMV Petrom starting construction of its first large photovoltaic plant

OMV Petrom awarded the contract for engineering and design, procurement, execution and commissioning (EPCC) for the Ișalnița solar power project to a group of Romanian companies. The plan for the future solar power plant of 89 MW in peak capacity is to include a 18 MW battery system.

Romanian oil and gas company OMV Petrom is taking another major step in its decarbonization segment. Right after agreeing to supply national airline Tarom with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), it awarded the EPCC contract for the photovoltaic plant in Ișalnița.

The location for the facility of 89 MW in peak capacity is in the country’s southwest. OMV Petrom has another solar power project in the area, with coal miner and power plant operator Complexul Energetic Oltenia.

The contract includes a 110 kV substation and the operation and maintenance for two years after commissioning. OMV picked domestic firms Actual Connect, Global Technical Systems, Bit Invest and Alpin Sun at a tender.

“The signing of this contract marks a significant moment for our company, the start of the actual construction of the first large photovoltaic project fully developed by OMV Petrom,” said Franck Neel, member of the executive board responsible for gas and power.

Solar power plant to come online by mid-2026

The final investment decision for the Ișalnița photovoltaic project in Dolj county was taken in June. Estimated annual output is 130 GWh.

OMV Petrom expects to complete and get the facility online in the first half of 2026. The integrated energy producer aims to grow its renewables portfolio, including partners, to 2.5 GW.

Battery storage project underway to be integrated with Ișalnița PV system

Also, as part of a call for projects within Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the company has submitted a project to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a storage capacity of 36 MWh and a power injection of 18 MW. If successful, the system would be integrated with the Ișalnița park.

The group retails oil products retail market in Romania and neighboring countries through 780 filling stations under two brands – OMV and Petrom. At the end of last year, OMV held a 51.2% stake.

Romanian shareholders owned over 43% of the shares. The government, through the Ministry of Energy, had 20.7%, and 22.5% was owned by pension funds in Romania, while there were another 500,000 individual investors and other Romanian entities.

Austria-based OMV recently hinted that it would expand its renewables business in Southeast Europe. The company said Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Hungary have great wind and solar power potential.