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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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August 12, 2025
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PPC is installing 60 chargers for EVs in Romania, Greece

Public Power Corp. has received funds from the European Union for the installation of 60 chargers for electric vehicles.

Public Power Corp. (PPC) and PPC blue Romania have jointly secured up to EUR 2.76 million from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding mechanism for the installation and operation of the publicly accessible direct current (DC) fast chargers, the update reveals.

PPC blue is the e-mobility arm of PPC.

The funds for the e-chargers in Greece and Romania were obtained from the CEF’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) program.

Under the East Europe Electric Route (Blue Route 3E) joint project, 28 DC fast charging points, each with a minimum capacity of 150 kW, would be set up for light-duty vehicles (LDVs), while 32 ultra-fast charging points, of at least 350 kW apiece, are intended for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).

Babilis: We are strengthening the TEN-T in Greece and Romania

The installation at 29 locations along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) is well underway, the company revealed.

Out of the 60 units, 16 fast-charging points for electric LDVs, each with a minimum output power of 150 kW, will be installed across ten locations in Greece. The rest – 12 fast-charging points for LDVs and 32 ultra-fast charging points for HDVs – are planned in Romania.

According to Miltiades Babilis, Chief E-Mobility Officer at PPC, the infrastructure of the TEN-T in Greece and Romania is being strengthened through the Blue Route 3E project.

It is the second European funding package that PPC blue has secured through the CEF mechanism

“PPC blue is investing in the strategic development of its network by adding new hyperfast chargers at key points along the Greek road network, thus making EV travel more convenient,” he stated.

It is the second EU funding package that PPC blue has secured through the CEF mechanism, following the Electrifying South East Europe Road Transport (ESEERT) project. It is in an advanced stage of implementation and involves 34 fast-charging points for electric LDVs across 13 locations in Greece.

PPC blue has over 2,800 e-chargers in Greece and Romania.

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August 12, 2025
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Final investment decision for Romania’s SMR project could be delayed

The final investment decision regarding a 462 MW small modular reactor system northwest of Bucharest could be delayed to early 2027, according to NuScale CEO John Hopkins.

RoPower Nuclear, the joint venture established for the SMR project, intends to use NuScale’s technology. The facility in Doicești in Dâmbovița county in the Muntenia region would be built at the site of a former coal plant.

NuScale expected RoPower to make the final investment decision early in the second quarter of next year at the latest. It is slated to be made after the completion of the upcoming front-end engineering design (FEED). Fluor was hired for the job in July, with its subsidiary NuScale as a subcontractor.

The former coal-fired power plant is now entirely removed, NuScale Power revealed with its earnings report for the second quarter. The company said it is working with Fluor regarding the input for the final investment decision.

RoPower Nuclear intends to deploy six NuScale Power Modules

“RoPower and the Romanian government continue to pay their bills, and we’re keeping our finger on the pulse and watching it very closely. We have almost weekly conversations on progress,” of the FEED 2 study, NuScale CEO John Hopkins said at the earnings call, Profit.ro reported. The final investment decision looks to be probably between mid-to-late 2026 and early 2027, he estimated.

The CEO said the Romanian side is taking a phased approach, claiming it remains very enthusiastic.

RoPower Nuclear intends to deploy six NuScale Power Modules at the planned facility.

The joint venture is undergoing a change in ownership. Its current owners, each with 50%, are state-controlled Nuclearelectrica, operator of Romania’s only nuclear plant, Cernavodă, and Nova Power and Gas, a subsidiary of E-Infra from Cluj.

The deal for a new investment round reportedly implies them dropping to 46.5% and 14%, respectively, while DS Private Equity from South Korea would control the remaining stake through its DSPE Beta Private Equity Fund.

The project is backed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

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August 12, 2025
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100,000 home batteries in California act as 500 MW power plant

More than 100,000 aggregated home batteries have recently supplied power at over 500 MW to California’s electricity system in a virtual power plant event covered by a new analysis.

The test virtual power plant (VPP) event occurred on July 29, and Brattle produced the analysis. The consultancy’s experts studied the data from the operation, called by several aggregators in California.

Residential batteries provided over 500 MW of capacity to the California power system during the event, according to Brattle.

Founder of GoPowerEV John Reister wrote on LinkedIn that 100,000 home batteries operated like a mid-sized power plant.

“On July 29, California aggregated more than 100,000 residential batteries and discharged them for two hours during the evening peak. The result: 535 MW of coordinated output, comparable to a gas peaker plant, but distributed across rooftops instead of built on a single plot of land,” Reister’s post reads.

GoPowerEV specializes in electric vehicle charging systems for multi-family apartments.

The aggregators have discharged their portfolio of batteries between 7 and 9 pm

According to the presentation on initial findings prepared by Brattle’s experts, several VPP aggregators in California discharged their portfolio of batteries between 7 and 9 pm, with an average output of 535 MW.

The aggregators conducted the event to assess the performance capability of their battery fleet heading into California’s summer peak season, when VPP grid services will be needed most.

The participants accounted for a diverse mix of battery manufacturers, aggregators, VPP programs, and geographic locations. In general, Sunrun was the largest aggregator, Tesla was the largest original equipment manufacturer, and most of the batteries were enrolled in California’s Demand-Side Grid Support (DSGS) program, the presentation reads.

Consistent supply from batteries throughout the event’s duration

The authors underlined that the batteries’ performance during the event demonstrates a significant departure from their status quo operations. It means that most of the 535 MW of battery output was additive; it would not have occurred without calling an event.

They also pointed to a relatively consistent output from the batteries throughout the event’s duration.

On peak days, using VPPs to serve CAISO’s net peak could reduce the need to invest in new generation capacity and relieve strain on the system associated with the evening load ramp, the authors added.

In their words, the batteries could help to mitigate some of the challenges associated with California’s so-called duck curve.

California Independent System Operator, or CAISO, is California’s transmission system operator.