Romania invites fresh bids to support batteries for renewables integration

Romania’s Ministry of Energy has reopened its call to support projects of battery storage for renewable energy integration, seeking at least 240MW and 480MWh of resources. The original call, which referred to at least 620MWh, was expected to see projects selected by the end of 2023, according to reports. Romania has also earmarked EUR 199 million to support new capacities for the production and recycling of batteries and solar cells and panels.

With this reopened bidding, the ministry aims to see the 2-hour duration battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities up and running by mid-2026. The budget for the BESS projects is EUR 79.6 million.

The call includes funding for the purchase of equipment and its installation, as well as the construction of BESS assets. Bidders have until March 21 to respond.

The funding has been enabled by the European Union (EU), through its recovery and resilience plans. The national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) for Romania was revised in November 2023, placing greater emphasis on clean energy technologies and the green economic transition than the previous version and bringing it into line with the bloc’s REPowerEU plan.

EUR 199 million for battery, solar production and recycling

In a separate call, the Ministry has offered EUR 199 million to support Romania’s battery and solar manufacturing sectors, an initiative also funded through the NRRP. Of that sum, EUR 149.25 million is intended for new battery production, assembly, and recycling facilities.

Romania hopes for at least 2 GW a year of battery production and recycling

The aim is to bring online at least 2 GW of battery production, recycling, or assembly a year by mid-2026. That could include any combination of electrode or electrode component production including recycling, and assembly of electrodes in batteries and testing and conditioning of batteries, again including recycling.

Nearly EUR 50 million is intended for the production and recycling of solar cells and panels

The remaining EUR 49.75 million is intended for new projects that would boost the capacity for the manufacture, assembly, and recycling of solar cells and panels, by at least 200 MW a year by mid-2026.

Bids could include any combination of polysilicon or wafer production, or assembly of finished cells and modules, including recycling.