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August 19, 2025
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Cyprus TSO favored in national battery storage tender

Pressed by the lack of electricity system flexibility, Cyprus is rushing to deploy battery storage facilities under indirect state control. Private companies are complaining that Transmission System Operator Cyprus (TSOC) is favored at a current tender for three units of 40 MW each.

EMA, the electricity market association of private companies has been trying to hinder or delay the installation of a central battery storage system within the network of state-owned Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), but to no avail, philenews reported.

After several complaints, including to the European Commission, the group urged the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) to reconsider the approval that it issued in June to Transmission System Operator Cyprus (TSOC). A tender is underway for the same three facilities with 400 MWh in total capacity, to be installed at three EAC’s substations.

The one in Athalassa would have 40 MW in operating power and a duration of two hours, translating to 80 MWh. The battery energy storage systems (BESS) at the substations in Anatoliko in Paphos (Pafos) and the free industrial zone in Larnaca would each have 40 MW and 160 MWh.

EU gave green light for rushed procedure

EAC owns TSOC, which has raised the issue of transparency. However, the government has obtained a derogation from the European Commission. In its request, it cited the delays in interconnecting with the European electricity grid, lack of energy storage and the instability affecting the island country’s electricity system.

The project for centralized BESS capacities on the transmission grid is an emergency measure to prevent blackouts and curtailments

The Great Sea Interconnector project for a subsea cable to Crete is late and even jeopardized due to breach deadlines. The Cypriot grid is constantly strained as it needs flexibility systems, while a huge part of solar and wind power is curtailed.

There were several major rolling outages and load-shedding events this summer on the island. One last week occurred amid a breakdown in one of the fuel oil–fired power plants, which the country relies on for baseload energy. Two new units of 400 MW overall are designed to use gas, but there is still no gas. Namely, the project for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal is suffering delays as well.

BESS tender is worth EUR 41 million excluding VAT

As for the tender, applications last until September 19. The cost is estimated at EUR 41 million altogether, excluding value-added tax. The BESS facilities need to operate at least 128 months.

AEC said in the documentation that it expects the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support the investment. Earlier reports suggest that EUR 30 million is available.

The government said the three battery energy storage systems are planned to be commissioned by June. EAC’s two power stations are also planned to be equipped with BESS units, it added.

In addition, the government is funding battery storage projects for renewable electricity plants, prosumers and even the army.

Power market liberalization in one month

Notably, Cyprus is liberalizing its power market on September 15 for independent producers and retail suppliers. The change is scheduled to come fully into force on October 1, the first day for transactions.

In a separate article, the same media outlet stressed that the country’s energy policy in the electricity segment is inadequate, uncoordinated and fragmented, with the cost of wrong decisions being passed on to consumers.

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August 19, 2025
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Battery storage investors in Romania rapidly expanding project pipeline

In an accelerating investment wave, companies in Romania are combining BESS with solar power, hydropower and wind power, or building standalone energy storage facilities. The group includes R.Power, Hidroelectrica, Engie and more big names.

Recent updates about investments in battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Romania indicate the technology is becoming another pillar of the country’s energy transition alongside wind power. For several years now, photovoltaics, and prosumers in particular – including municipal authorities, have dominated the scene. Geothermal energy is another emerging segment.

The government has provided incentives both for households and utility-scale battery storage. Companies are combining batteries with solar and wind power as well as hydropower capacity.

Investing in BESS colocated with renewable electricity plants or as standalone facilities in Southeastern Europe enables income from high spreads between wholesale power prices in daily trading. It is especially significant given the increase in the occurrence of zero and negative prices.

Notably, neighboring Bulgaria has earmarked massive funds for support to BESS investments while also focusing on pumped storage hydropower projects. Greece also held several rounds of auctions for battery storage.

R.Power to start building 127 MW standalone battery

R.Power is investing in BESS in Romania, which is one of its strategic markets, together with Poland, where it is headquartered, and Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Battery storage makes up 17.5 GW or more than half of its total development pipeline in Europe.

The company said it would hybridize its existing and future PV assets and scale the integrated capacity to several gigawatts in the coming years. It has over 1.2 GW of projects for standalone BESS in Romania. “And that’s just the beginning,” R.Power said.

It obtained EUR 15 million in funding for a future 127 MW facility. It is about to start building the BESS in Scornicești in Olt county, west of Bucharest. R.Power is planning to complete it in a year. The battery energy storage system would have a duration of two hours, translating to 254 MWh in capacity. The project received funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP or, in Romanian, PNRR).

Still, in the company’s view, further legislative changes are needed to fully harness the potential of the technology.

Hidroelectrica to add large battery to Iron Gate 2 hydroelectric plant

State-owned Hidroelectrica, the largest electricity producer in Romania, wants to install a battery storage system at Iron Gate 2 (Porțile de Fier 2) on the Danube. Located on the border with Serbia, it is the second-largest hydroelectric plant in the country, at 252 MW in nominal capacity. The complex, which the two countries share, is known as Đerdap in Serbian.

The BESS would have 64 MW in nominal power and a four-hour duration (256 MWh), Profit.ro reported. Hidroelectrica plans to use it for providing balancing services to the national electricity system (SEN) and adjust the time intervals of its hydropower production.

The contract for the installation of the facility is estimated at EUR 61.2 million plus value-added tax, according to the article. It would be integrated with the hydroelectric plant. The company is receiving bids from potential contractors by August 28.

French Engie has BESS projects for its existing PV plant, wind park

France-based Engie’s subsidiary in Romania intends to install a BESS at its newest solar power plant, of 37.2 MW in peak capacity, in Ariceștii Rahtivani. It commissioned the PV facility in June. The location is north of Bucharest, in Prahova county.

The battery energy storage system project is for 20 MW in operating power and 80 MWh. It would consist of 16 containers, 192 inverters and four transformer units.

The wind park in Băleni will reportedly add a small BESS facility

Engie Romania is working on another investment, through its Alizeu Eolian project firm. It plans to add batteries to a 50 MW wind park in Băleni, Galați county, which was built in 2013.

The company obtained the building permit last year. It also got clearance two months ago for connecting the BESS with a 110/20 kV transformer station via an underground line. Economica.net learned that the battery storage facility would have 5 MW and a two-hour duration, costing the firm EUR 2 million.

Engie’s project was included in the reserve list last September after a public call for support to battery storage. The Ministry of Energy selected 13 applications for grants from NRRP. Another 25 passed, but remained below the line.

Government bolstering battery investments with grants

The state aid scheme was worth EUR 103.5 million, of which EUR 79.6 million came from the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Among the beneficiaries are Electrica, in which the government holds just under 50%. Renovatio Trading. OMV Petrom, Public Power Corp. (PPC) and Verbund have projects on the B list.

For its 65 MWh project in Toplița in Harghita county, in eastern Transylvania, Renovatio Trading is buying the equipment from Trina Storage. The firm is part of Trina Solar.

Visual Fan is winning major contracts for the procurement and installation of batteries

Allview Energy, part of Romanian company Visual Fan, is handling the alternating current (AC) side in Renovatio Trading’s investment.

In addition, Visual Fan became the contractor for a BESS within Eurowind Energy’s Teiuș solar park.

The Danish developer intends to deploy a 117 MWh energy storage unit with lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, within a year. It valued the project at over EUR 16.6 million. The companies said they would carry out the works in partnership with TQM Services and Voltlink. The investment includes the battery management system and liquid cooling.

In June, the ministry approved a EUR 3.4 million grant from the EU’s Modernisation Fund to Termoficare Oradea. It has a project for a 10 MW solar park with a 15 MWh storage unit, worth EUR 18.6 million altogether.

Austria’s Verbund conducting EUR 22.7 million project

Verbund has almost all the permits for a BESS project at its 226 MW wind farm in Casimcea in Tulcea county. The company headquartered in Austria said it has secured financing as well and that it is already contracting the equipment.

The wind farm was commissioned in 2012. The energy storage segment would have up to 50 MW and up to 100 MWh. It would be located at the Alpha Wind Nord section of the existing facility, of 81 MW.

Still, the basic variant’s size will be 48.3 MW, with 76 MWh in capacity, according to Profit.ro. There would be 34 containers at the site selected for the BESS.

The majority government-controlled utility values the investment at EUR 22.7 million, of which more than EUR 10.7 million is for the storage facility itself. The location spans five hectares.

After coming up short in the public call, Verbund submitted the project for a grant from the Modernisation Fund.

In mid-May, Romania hosted 240.7 MW of battery capability and a total capacity of 404.9 MWh.

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August 19, 2025
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Hidroelectrica seeks to buy wind, solar projects totaling 520 MW

Romanian state-owned hydropower plant operator Hidroelectrica, the largest electricity producer in the country, is looking to take over a 250 MW wind farm project under development and a total of about 270 MW of solar projects.

Hidroelectrica’s plan is to acquire the companies that own the rights, permits, land, and other assets related to the renewable energy projects under development, according to a report by Profit.ro.

The plan is to acquire the companies developing the wind and solar projects

The Romanian power utility is currently selecting consultants to conduct due diligence on the projects and the development companies, before making acquisition decisions.

Hidroelectrica operates 188 hydropower plans, with a combined capacity of 6.4 GW, and only one wind park, of 108 MW. The wind park, Crucea Nord, should soon get a battery energy storage system of 36 MW under a contract signed in April this year.

In May, Hidroelectrica hired a contractor for installing its first photovoltaic plants. The solar panels, with a total capacity of 2.96 MW, are to be deployed on the roofs of 20 hydroelectric plants, in an investment valued at EUR 1.77 million.

Hidroelectrica plans to install photovoltaic panels at 20 hydropower plants and build a floating solar plant

In June, the company selected a contractor for its first floating solar power plant, of 10 MW, which would be installed on the reservoir of the Ipotești hydroelectric plant. Hidroelectrica said at the time that it intended to obtain know-how from the construction and operation of the pilot floating solar system and replicate the concept elsewhere.

Hidroelectrica has also invited bids for installing a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a nominal power of 64 MW at the Iron Gate 2 (Porțile de Fier 2) hydropower plant on the Danube. It would be used to provide balancing services to the national electricity system and adjust the time intervals of hydropower production at Iron Gate 2.

The company’s profit in the first half of 2025 dropped 41% against the same period a year earlier, to RON 1.587 billion (EUR 313.6 million) as revenue fell 16% to RON 4.315 billion (EUR 852.7 million). Its total power output decreased 27% year-on-year to 6,068 GWh, pushing electricity purchases up 62% to 674 GWh, according to Profit.ro.

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August 19, 2025
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Heat pump sales in Europe plunge in 2024

The European Union has an ambitious goal to lift the number of heat pumps to 60 million by 2030. Still, total sales of the devices in 19 European countries fell by a combined 22% last year, according to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).

As part of its energy transition strategy, the EU aims to have 60 million heat pumps in operation by 2030 at the latest. It would allow at least half of European buildings to be heated, and partly cooled, using renewable energy sources. Gas consumption in buildings would be 40% lower than in 2022, saving EUR 60 billion in energy imports and significantly cutting CO₂ emissions.

More than 25 million heat pumps have already been installed in Europe

The intermediate target of 20 million by 2026 was surpassed before the end of 2024, EHPA data shows. Last year, Europe had more than 25 million heat pumps installed. However, reaching 60 million units in less than six years now appears increasingly challenging.

The report notes that after steady sales growth through 2022, the market declined in both 2023 and 2024. Last year, sales in the observed group of 19 countries fell by 22%. The steepest drops were recorded in the Czech Republic (64%) and Germany (48%).

Photo (EHPA): Number of heat pumps sold every year from 2012 to 2024

The report’s authors warned that if current trends continue, the EU could fall short by about 15 million units in 2030, or 25% below the target.

Leading markets and new data from Southeastern Europe

France and Italy had the strongest sales in 2024, with 546,000 and 348,000 units, respectively. However, looking at the share of households using heat pumps, Scandinavian countries are in the lead.

Scandinavian countries are in the lead in the household heat pump segment

Norway has 632 heat pumps per 1,000 households, followed by Finland, with 524. Sales remained strong in 2024, with 48 and 33 heat pumps per 1,000 households, the highest levels in Europe.

Photo (EHPA): Number of heat pumps sold per 1,000 households in 2024

EHPA published sales estimates for nine additional European countries for the first time, including some that Balkan Green Energy News tracks. Sales in Bulgaria and Croatia amounted to 8,000 units each last year. In Cyprus, 3,000 were bought, compared to 18,000 in Greece, 4,000 in Latvia, 1,000 in Luxembourg, 6,000 in Malta, 10,000 in Romania and 13,000 in Slovenia. There are no historical data for the countries in the group for comparison.

The estimates are based on 2023 sales figures from the EurObserv’ER Heat Pump Barometer 2024, supplemented with 2024 sales estimates provided by heat pump manufacturers.

UK records the largest growth in heat pump sales

The United Kingdom, Ireland, and Portugal were the only countries achieving growth last year. Although the total number of heat pumps in the UK remains relatively small, sales increased by 56% in 2024.

Photo (EHPA): The table shows the number of units sold in 2024, followed by the decrease or increase in sales from 2023 and the total number of heat pumps at the end of 2024 by country

According to EHPA, the progress was driven by a combination of clear and stable policy, the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme – offering up to GBP 7,500 per household to replace fossil fuel systems – as well as removing hybrid systems from subsidy schemes, raising public awareness, and increasing the number of trained installers.

Ireland also saw strong sales growth, 19%, underpinned by long-term policy stability and a clear commitment to renewable energy. It ranks fifth in Europe in the share of heat pumps among households. The market initially grew in the new-build sector, where heat pumps have become standard, while the renovation segment is expanding thanks to subsidies and a rising carbon tax.

Additional measures needed

EHPA pointed out that stronger strategic support at the EU level, along with stable legislation and regulations, is crucial for achieving the targets.

“More heat pumps is a win-win for Europe – and it must also be the smart choice for consumers. To get there, electricity prices must be made more competitive, good long-term support schemes put in place and installers trained up, so buying a heat pump is affordable and easy,” said EHPA Executive Director Paul Kenny.

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August 19, 2025
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Good start for North Macedonia: in first two months 100k+ guarantees of origin issued

North Macedonia has issued 107,666 guarantees of origin for electricity in the first two months since introducing the mechanism.

In April, the National Electricity Market Operator (MEMO) established the Register of Guarantees of Origin for electricity.

On May 26, MEMO officially issued the first renewable energy guarantees of origin to state-owned power company Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM) for electricity produced from hydropower plants.

In June, 56,620 guarantees were issued for hydropower plants, followed by 51,046 for photovoltaic plants in July, according to MEMO.

Guarantees of origin have been issued for eight power plants

The company stressed an increasing number of companies are joining the Register of Guarantees of Origin, calling it a key step in building a transparent and modern energy market.

MEMO said it ensures the compliance of national regulations with European ones by maintaining a secure and standard system for the issuance, transfer, and activation of guarantees of origin.

Guarantees of origin have been issued for eight power plants: hydropower plants Kozjak and Sveta Petka and solar power plants Oslomej, Dolani Solar, EVN Solar 1, Štip Solar, Crn Kamen 1, and Crn Kamen 2.

Energy Community members are gradually introducing guarantees of origin

In April, MEMO adopted the rules for administering guarantees of origin for electricity in line with the Law on Energy, a decree that regulates the mechanism, and the standards of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB).

The company is responsible for establishing and managing the register, including issuing the guarantees, recording transfers, and recognizing, revoking, and canceling GOs.

The rules are also aligned with the principles of the European Energy Certificate System (EECS). The GOs system was established in cooperation with Grexel, a company specializing in energy certificates.

The cooperation with Grexel is part of the initiative to establish a regional system for guarantees of origin initiated by the Energy Community Secretariat. The goal is to develop nine registries for the contracting parties in line with the European Union’s rules: in Albania, the two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Federation of BiH and the Republic of Srpska), Georgia, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Ukraine.

So far, Albania, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and the Republic of Srpska have launched their registries.

However, implementing the initiative is not sufficient for guarantees of origin to be recognized in the EU.

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* This designation is without prejudice to positions onstatus and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
August 18, 2025
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Serbia’s EPS reports EUR 234 million profit for first half of 2025

Elektroprivreda Srbije achieved a profit of RSD 27.4 billion (EUR 233.8 million) in the first half of 2025.

The financial result of the state-owned Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) is lower than in the same period of 2024, when profit amounted to RSD 32.8 billion (EUR 280.3 million). The company posted RSD 26.1 billion (EUR 222.8 million) in net income for the entire year.

The Ministry of Mining and Energy said the shareholder assembly of the Serbian joint stock company EPS has adopted the report on the implementation of its three-year business plan for the first six months of 2025, declaring a profit of RSD 27.4 billion (EUR 233.8 million).

Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović, the sole shareholder assembly member, noted that the trend of continuous production and financial stability of the company has continued, and highlighted the importance of the results achieved in the mining sector.

The priority is to prepare machinery for the new Radljevo mine in the Kolubara basin

Coal production exceeded the plan by 8%, but more importantly, the year-over-year rise in coal production was 7%, according to Đedović Handanović.

However, in her words, it is crucial to continue the same pace, which is why great effort must be put into completing the machinery preparation project for the new Radljevo mine in Kolubara, so that overburden production can begin next year.

Reduced costs for coal procurement from outside the company

She said that through careful management of the electricity portfolio, coal stocks in depots have been maintained at a high level, around 1.68 million tons. The costs of purchasing coal from third parties are RSD 1.35 billion (EUR 11.5 million) lower than planned and significantly lower than in the past three years, Đedović Handanović said.

The minister highlighted the fact that hydrology has been unfavorable for the second consecutive year, affecting electricity production.

She recalled that in the first quarter of this year, the Petka solar power plant in Kostolac was put into trial operation. Soon, the blades of EPS’s first wind farm will be spun for testing, she Đedović Handanović added.

EPS investing in a subsidiary in Kosovo and Metohija

“It is essential to improve the management of investment activities, especially considering that work is underway on the most significant energy project – the construction of the Bistrica pumped storage hydropower plant. At the same time, it is important to continue efforts to reduce operational costs and improve customer relations,” the minister stressed.

She revealed that as part of the company’s transformation process, key performance indicators (KPIs) were introduced for executive and middle management.

The EPS assembly also approved the decision to invest in the capital of Elektrosever, the company’s subsidiary in Kosovo and Metohija.

That way it enables supplying Serbia’s citizens in four municipalities in the province’s north, she explained. More than 45% of consumers got smart meters by now from Elektrosever, the ministry stressed.

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