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August 14, 2025
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Slovenia’s HESS inks 9.2 MW deal for two solar power plants near HPP Brežice

Hydropower plant operator Hidroelektrarne na Spodnji Savi will build two solar power plants with a combined capacity of 9.2 MW near its Brežice hydropower plant. It picked Končar as the contractor.

Two new photovoltaic facilities in the pipeline are the continuation of investments in solar near the Brežice hydropower plant. Hidroelektrarne na Spodnji Savi (HESS), owned by GEN and HSE, installed a 6 MW PV plant in May 2023 next to the reservoir of its HPP Brežice’s.

At the time, it was the largest in Slovenia, and it remains the largest hybrid system in the country.

The existing PV plant is FEBR-D3, while the two new ones are called FEBR-D1 and FEBR-D2.

“We’re excited to announce a new chapter in our collaboration with HESS,” Croatia-based Končar said.

Končar will install the two solar power plants

Končar, an engineering company, signed a contract in July for the construction of FEBR-D1 and FEBR-D2. It said the endeavor extends the partnership established at HPP Brežice. Of note, it supplied generators for the 47.4 MW HPP, which began operating in 2017.

Located just a few kilometers upstream from HPP Brežice, on the left bank of the Sava River, the two units will have a combined peak capacity of 9.2 MW, powered by 14,790 PV modules, Končar added.

The Croatian firm revealed that the contract is worth EUR 4.5 million. It sets an ambitious goal: both plants are scheduled to be fully operational and handed over to the client by the end of next year, according to Končar.

The largest solar power plant in Slovenia has a capacity of 7.1 MW

In late May, on World Sun Day, HESS announced that it obtained construction permits for the FEBR-D1 and FEBR-D2 solar plants. It is the continuation of the story within which, on June 21, 2023, Slovenia’s largest hybrid solar power plant FEBR-D3 began production, it added.

Of note, the largest solar power plant in Slovenia has a capacity of 7.1 MW. It came online last month on the border with Italy.

Hydropower and solar energy make an excellent combination, so numerous power utilities, including the ones in the Western Balkans, decided to invest. The latest example comes again from Slovenia, where Soške Elektrarne Nova Gorica (SENG), part of HSE, commissioned its first PV unit at its Avče pumped storage hydropower plant.

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August 13, 2025
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Bulgaria, Romania offer much higher renewable energy project returns than Greece – HELLENiQ Energy

The newly purchased wind and solar projects in Romania and Bulgaria will bring much higher returns than ones in the Greek market, claims George Alexopoulos, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of HELLENiQ Energy.

HELLENiQ Renewables Romania, operating under Greece-based HELLENiQ Energy, bought a wind project in Scânteiesti in Galaţi in eastern Romania, with a licensed capacity of 96 MW, and a wind project in the Vaslui region, with a licensed capacity of 186 MW.

In addition, HELLENiQ Energy completed the purchase of a photovoltaic project of 123 MW in Haskovo region in southern Bulgaria, which marks the company’s entry into the country.

The company is facing delays in the Greek renewables market

“We achieved deals on three new projects at a ready-to-build phase in Romania and Bulgaria, which are effectively consistent with our announced strategy and they allow us to have better visibility of the achievement of the interim target of 1.5 GW in operation in the next few years,” the company’s CEO Andreas Shiamishis stressed at the presentation of the financial results from the second quarter and first half of 2025.

Unfortunately, he added, when it comes to the Greek renewables market, the company is facing delays, primarily because of Greek connection terms clarity.

The three new projects are much less susceptible to future curtailment

In the view of George Alexopoulos, Deputy CEO and GM Group Strategic Planning & New Activities, the three said projects are much less susceptible to future curtailment. They also bring notably much higher financial returns than what the company is observing in the Greek market, he said.

Alexopoulos stressed the construction of one project in Romania is starting immediately and that the company expects all the assets to be operational by 2028.

“We expect returns of 10% to 12%, which is considerably higher than Greece, and capex of approximately EUR 0.5 billion, which will be financed on a project finance basis, for the most part,” Alexopoulos explained.

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August 13, 2025
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New solar park in Romania of 71 MW gets final permit for launch

Shikun and Binui Energy is about to begin delivering electricity to the grid from its Satu Mare photovoltaic plant. It is the company’s first renewables project in Romania and the surrounding region.

More than two and a half years after the start of construction, the Satu Mare solar power plant of 71 MW secured the authorization for the beginning of commercial operation, Profit.ro reported. Shikun and Binui Energy borrowed EUR 40.5 million in 2023 for the endeavor from Raiffeisen Bank International and Raiffeisen Bank Romania.

The company is part of Israel-based conglomerate Shikun and Binui, which is active in Romania’s real estate market. The photovoltaic facility in the Satu Mare county is its first investment in renewables in the country and the surrounding region. The contractor is CJR Renewables.

Project began in partnership with Monsson’s Muntmark

With the new permit, project firm Shikun and Binui Energy Satu Mare can register to begin selling electricity and start production. The PV plant spans 85 hectares. In 2021, news emerged that the company would invest up to EUR 50 million through its firm Camre Energy and in partnership with Emanuel Muntmark. He controls Monsson, one of the biggest developers of renewable energy and battery storage projects in Romania.

The same media outlet learned last year that the group intends to install over 300 MW in Buzoiești, in Argeș county. In June 2024, its subsidiary Green Energy Dynamic received technical approval for the Gold Wind onshore wind farm of 376 MW  in Constanta county in eastern Romania. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2028.

Earlier there were reports that Shikun and Binui was developing wind and solar power projects in Iași county.

Second solar power plant is under construction in adjacent county

The second major investment of its energy branch is the Șimleu Silvaniei PV facility. The construction of the 101 MW system began more than a year ago. It is in Sălaj county, adjacent to Satu Mare.

Shikun and Binui Energy secured a EUR 49 million loan from Raiffeisen Group for the project. It also picked CJR Renewables as the contractor for Șimleu Silvaniei.

Solar power has been dominating renewable energy investments in Romania for several years, but the wind power segment seems to be rebounding strongly. Battery energy storage systems are also strengthening their role, especially as auxilary facilities for PV and wind parks, turning them into hybrid power plants.

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August 13, 2025
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Bulgaria to add batteries of up to 10,000 MWh in capacity within months – ESO

Bulgaria’s Electricity System Operator has received applications for the connection of batteries with 12 GW in total capability, according to the transmission system operator’s Executive Director Angelin Tsachev.

Bulgaria currently has 500 MW in battery energy storage systems (BESS), with a capacity of 1,300 MWh. The facilities are in private ownership.

Angelin Tsachev told Bulgarian National Radio that the Electricity System Operator (ESO) received applications for about 12,000 MW, with a capacity of 35,000 MWh.

The TSO’s technical council has considered each grid connection request. The operator issued its opinions on the possibilities for enabling network access to the batteries when the conditions are met, Tsachev pointed out.

BESS can now cover about 1.5% of the country’s daily consumption

BESS can now cover about 1.5% of the country’s daily consumption, he revealed. However, in the coming months, batteries with a combined capacity of 7,000 MWh to 10,000 MWh are expected to be installed, the official added. They would be a serious factor, Tsachev stressed.

No state-owned or private conventional power plants are currently equipped with energy storage systems, he asserted.

After the balancing methodology was changed, commercial developers of projects for intermittent power plants became more disciplined, and now there are no concerns about the balancing of the system, Tsachev said. Electricity exports in the first seven months of this year were higher than in the same period of 2024. Net exports reached almost 230,000 MWh, Tsachev noted.

Good investment opportunity

According to an earlier analysis by Rystad Energy, the best potential profits in battery storage in Europe in 2013 were in Greece and Bulgaria. The country’s city of Lovech, northeast of Sofia, hosts the strongest BESS in the Balkans.

The Ministry of Energy of Bulgaria is reportedly working on a public call for EUR 120 million in state aid for investments in battery energy storage systems of 1.5 GWh overall. In April, it granted EUR 587 million to 82 battery storage projects.

The pace of large photovoltaic projects in Bulgaria indicates that total capacity can reach 6 GW by the middle of next year.

However, the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity (APSTE) warned that the government’s disproportionately high fees for solar panels and energy storage batteries are preventing the possibility of having permanently low electricity prices in Bulgaria.

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August 13, 2025
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First part of Tenevo PV plant comes online, batteries are under construction

The largest hybrid power plant in Bulgaria is beginning to take shape – a joint venture of Eurowind Energy and Renalfa IPP commissioned the first segment of a solar park, and it is building a battery energy storage system (BESS). The Tenevo facility is planned to include a wind power plant as well.

Almost two years after the start of construction, a solar park in Yambol province in southeastern Bulgaria is now producing electricity. It has 69 MW in peak capacity. Project firm Tenevo Solar Technologies has a task to expand it to 237.6 MW, making it one of the biggest photovoltaic systems in the country.

Together with a battery system, of 315 MW in operating power and 760 MWh in capacity, and the planned wind farm of 250 MW, it would be the largest and most complex hybrid power plant in Bulgaria. At this moment, it would also be the first such green energy facility that doesn’t consist only of photovoltaics and batteries. The BESS part alone would probably be the biggest in Europe.

Tenevo will likely become the biggest hybrid power plant in Bulgaria and the first one with an additional source besides solar power and BESS

Tenevo operates under Eura IPP, incorporated in Bulgaria. It is an equally owned joint venture of Renalfa IPP and Eurowind Energy. The former of the two is itself a JV, founded by Vienna-based clean energy and e-mobility company Renalfa Solarpro Group, and French renewable energy infrastructure fund manager RGreen Invest.

Renalfa IPP said it has more than 650 MW in operation, over 1 GW of projects in late-stage development and a project pipeline of more than 3 GW. The company is active in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia.

Eurowind Energy is a Danish investment and project development company in the field of renewable energy and an independent power producer. It has a global portfolio of over 60 GW, of which 1.3 GW in operation.

Second phase of Tenevo PV park to come online early next year

Together with the solar power plant, the 400 kV grid connection system started operating. The second phase of the Tenevo PV park will be put into operation in early 2026, as some of the panels were damaged by the extremely intense hailstorm in May, according to the update.

The BESS facility is under construction, Renalfa IPP revealed. EURA IPP secured a 320 MW connection to the transmission network, of which up to 213.7 MW is for the solar farm.

Raiffeisen, EBRD are main creditors

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has committed a senior secured loan of up to EUR 50 million. It includes a full or partial cover by a first loss guarantee under the EBRD InvestEU Framework, the lender’s first in Bulgaria. It valued the project at EUR 158.4 million.

Raiffeisen Bank International provided a financing facility of EUR 53 million.

The entire solar power segment of the hybrid power plant is expected to generate 332 GWh per year. The PV panels are equipped with single-axis trackers, allowing them to turn toward the sun, which boosts efficiency.

Tenevo is on the site of a former airport near an eponymous village in the municipality of Tundzha.

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August 12, 2025
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Wind power takes lead in new renewables investment wave in Romania

The rising number of maturing wind power projects and the ones under construction in Romania has highlighted the increasing role of the technology for the country’s energy transition. The recent updates are for three locations in the country’s east.

Investments in wind power in Romania are rebounding from a long lull. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the country hosted nearly 3.1 GW in wind power capacity at the end of 2024. It achieved a peak of 3.24 GW a decade before. Investors are maturing an increasing number of projects or beginning construction, alongside significant acquisition activity.

Together with a wave of investments in battery storage, the wind power segment is making the domestic renewable energy market more balanced. It was dominated by photovoltaics for several years – primarily by the meteoric rise in the number of prosumers. Of note, there were 228,302 at the end of May, operating 2.73 GW in capacity.

New Minister of Energy Bogdan Ivan recently estimated that another 3.2 GW of solar and wind power combined would come online in Romania by the end of 2026.

Wind park of over 250 MW in Ialomița to be completed in 2027

The administration of Ialomița County in the country’s east announced that KKR, its subsidiary Greenvolt and Renovatio would build a wind park of more than 250 MW. It would consist of three power plants in the area around Țăndărei, Gheorghe Lazăr, Grivița and Ograda.

According to the regional authority, the Ialomița wind farm project east of Bucharest is worth more than EUR 400 million. Its completion is expected in 2027.

Greenvolt has won support for more than half of capacity in its Ialomița Nord wind power project at the government’s first wind and solar power auction, through a contract for difference (CfD). Total investment is for 246.4 MW.

Greek renewables giant to start construction of two wind power plants

HELLENiQ Renewables Romania, operating under Greece-based HELLENiQ Energy, acquired Ansthall Green Energy from OX2. The project firm owns a ready-to-build wind project in Scânteiesti in Galaţi in eastern Romania, with a licensed capacity of 96 MW.

The Greek parent company said construction is starting immediately through a deal with OX2 Construction. It expects to put the facility into operation in 2027.

It has a 12-year virtual power purchase agreement (PPA) with Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize, for 158 GWh per year. The company operates supermarket chains. Total annual output is estimated at 309 GWh.

HELLENiQ Energy revealed that it has bought two ready-to-build projects of 282 MW in total

HELLENiQ Energy’s Romanian company also signed a contract to take over Helios and Wind Energy, a special purpose vehicle owning a ready-to-build wind project in the nearby Vaslui region. The licensed capacity is 186 MW and there is an option to add a battery energy storage system (BESS). It would have 186 MW in operational power as well and a duration of one hour, translating to 186 MWh.

Regulators in Romania must approve the agreement before the transaction.

In addition, the company completed the purchase of a ready-to-build PV project of 123 MW in peak capacity. The location is in Haskovo region in southern Bulgaria, which marks HELLENiQ’s entry into the country. The solar power plant can include a BESS facility of 90 MW and 180 MWh.

The company previously known as Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE) intends to start the construction of two BESS in its home market. They would have 50 MW and 200 MWh altogether. The two endeavors in Florina were among the winners in the third auction for battery storage in Greece.

Turkish company, Romanian footbal star’s daughter advance joint project

The third recent update is for one of the biggest planned wind farms in Romania, also in the east. The location for the Dăeni project is in Tulcea county. It has received the grid connection approval from Transelectrica and an environmental permit from the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA or, in Romanian, ANPM).

Project documentation for the wind power plant of 56 turbines of 7.2 MW each shows the facility should be commissioned by the end of 2031, Profit.ro reported. It translates to 403.2 MW in nominal capacity. Dăeni would have a connection to the transmission grid of over 394 MW.

Oxigen Delta is 50% owned by a subsidiary of Turkey-based Sanko Enerji

The developer is Oxigen Delta, in which 50% is owned by a subsidiary of Turkey-based Sanko Enerji, part of Sanko Holding. Milana-Maria Ilie, daughter of famous former Romanian football player Adrian Ilie, is among the main shareholders, the article adds. The investment was valued at some EUR 800 million last year.

Eximprod, which installed the first wind turbine in Romania more than two decades ago, has delivered the first megawatt-hours to the grid from its new wind farm in the country’s east. Rezolv secured a financing package for the second phase of its giant Vifor wind farm in Buzău county

Eurowind Energy built the turbines earlier this year at its Pecineaga wind park. Greece-based Public Power Corp. (PPC) is supposed to connect its Deleni facility to the grid before the end of the year.

OX2 is constructing the Green Breeze wind farm as the turnkey contractor for the investor, Nala Renewables.

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