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September 29, 2025
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DRI acquires 112 MW battery storage project in Poland from Greenvolt

DRI expanded its activities in Poland with the acquisition of rights to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Kozienice, located in the east-central part of the country. The investment will also strengthen Ukraine’s grid, according to the update.

DRI, DTEK’s renewables arm in the European Union, acquired a BESS project for 112 MW in capability from Greenvolt Group. The battery system would have a four-hour duration, translating to a capacity of 448 MWh. The project is in a ready-to-build (RTB) stage, with all necessary administrative approvals, permits, and grid connection agreements in place for immediate construction, the two companies said.

The site is in Kozienice in the east-central part of Poland. In addition to making the country’s electricity grid more stable, the project will progressively strengthen Ukraine’s grid as the country’s energy network is integrated into a single European system, DRI pointed out.

The ambition is part of DTEK’s broader drive to prioritise energy security for Ukraine and the rest of Europe, the announcement reads.

DRI lifts battery storage project portfolio in Poland to 245 MW

With the new agreement, DRI is consolidating its position in the Polish energy market, and more broadly, in Europe’s energy transition, said DRI’s new Chief Executive Officer Murat Çinar.

Battery energy storage systems will be at the heart of the power grid of the future, DRI’s CEO Murat Çinar underscored

“By adding a second battery storage project to our portfolio, the acquisition of the Kozienice BESS will increase our total storage capacity available to the Polish grid to 245 MW. This technology will play a vital role in Europe’s transition towards a renewables-based system, enhancing grid stability and reducing the risk of outages during periods of system stress. Battery energy storage systems will be at the heart of the power grid of the future,” he stated.

Alongside its two battery storage projects in Poland, Amsterdam-based DRI is advancing fifteen solar and onshore wind projects at various stages of development in Croatia, Italy and Romania. The company said its mission is to work in underserved markets in Europe to achieve their net zero goals.

Its parent DTEK Group is the biggest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector.

Greenvolt delivers high-impact BESS project

Greenvolt is one of the largest developers of energy storage in Europe, a technology that stands as a key pillar of the energy transition, the group’s CEO João Manso Neto said.

“This agreement fully aligns with our strategic objective to deliver high-impact projects that drive the ongoing transformation of the European energy landscape and attract strong market interest,” he stressed.

Greenvolt Group is a company within KKR’s portfolio. Through Greenvolt Power, it develops utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects across 18 markets in Europe, North America, and Asia.

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September 29, 2025
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Serbia to sign agreement on gas power plant with Azerbaijan

Serbia has completed the negotiations with Azerbaijan on the construction of a natural gas power plant near the city of Niš, according to Ana Brnabić, the Speaker of the National Assembly. She also said an agreement has been reached on additional quantities of gas that would be supplied to Serbia from the Caucasian country.

The negotiations for the construction of a gas power plant in Niš have been completed, Ana Brnabić said. She added that the facility would be a joint project between Azerbaijan and Serbia, RTS reported.

In mid-November last year President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić revealed that the government was starting talks with Azerbaijan on a possible joint construction of a 1 GW gas power plant in Niš, or two smaller units.

The agreement would likely be signed during the first meeting of the strategic cooperation council

Speaking during her visit to Azerbaijan, Ana Brnabić underlined that the signing of the gas power plant agreement would likely occur in the first meeting of the bilateral strategic cooperation council, when it is most convenient for the presidents, Aleksandar Vučić and Ilham Aliyev.

The investment near Niš would serve as an additional, significant stimulus and guarantee for Serbia’s energy security and stability, she stressed. The gas power plant will have a capacity of around 500 MW, which is of huge significance for Serbia, according to Brnabić.

The investment is estimated at EUR 600 million, she added.

An agreement reached on additional quantities of natural gas will be signed in the coming weeks

The country’s draft 2040 energy strategy includes a plan for a gas-fired cogeneration plant in Niš of 150 MW in electricity capacity and another 100 MW for heat. Another one would be built in Novi Sad. It is envisaged at 350 MW and 100 MW, respectively.

Earlier, Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović stressed that the gas power plant project is important for generating baseload energy and providing the security of supply.

Brnabić also said an agreement on additional quantities of gas has been reached and that the plan was to sign it in the coming weeks. Serbia already has quantities contracted with Azerbaijan, but additional amounts have been secured at the request of President Aleksandar Vučić for the winter months, she explained.

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September 29, 2025
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Celje, Šoštanj among Slovenian municipal authorities pursuing energy independence

The City of Celje in Slovenia plans to install 11 solar power plants on its public buildings, and the Municipality of Šoštanj agreed contracted four such units. The photovoltaic systems would be part of energy communities. Šoštanj expects to save EUR 70,000 per year while Celje is counting on EUR 200,000.

Novo Mesto, another municipality in Slovenia, recently made a similar move toward achieving energy independence.

The total capacity of the solar power plants in Celje and Šoštanj is 1.9 MW. They have signed contracts with ECE, a subsidiary of state-owned power utility Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE). The projects are funded from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and by the two municipal authorities.

Šoštanj is set to get solar power plants with a capacity of 500 kW altogether, at four locations: the sports hall of the Karel Destovnik Kajuh elementary school, a music school, health center, and the Pilon Center.

The total investment is EUR 500,000, with the local authority receiving a EUR 450,000 grant via the NRRP.

Both municipal authorities now have energy communities

In Celje, approximately 1.4 MW would be installed at several locations including the Z’dežele Stadium, Celje Summer Pool, Celje Health Center, elementary schools and kindergartens.

The City of Celje secured a EUR 1 million grant from NRRP, and the total investment is estimated at EUR 1.4 million.

Sebastijan Roudi and Boris Goličnik (photo: Municipality of Šoštanj)

In addition to building solar power plants, the contract includes five years of maintenance, offtaking surplus electricity production, and supply during insufficient power generation. It also involves managing the energy community.

In Šoštanj, the energy community would involve more than 15 public buildings, and the one in the City of Celje would consist of PV units on more than 40 public buildings.

The two projects are scheduled for completion in December and November, respectively.

Šoštanj aims to produce 70% of the electricity consumed by its public buildings

When the power plants are built, the municipality expects to cover 70% of the consumption of all public buildings, and the third-largest city in Slovenia aims for a 15% share.

The Šoštanj project is envisaged for 500 MWh of clean electricity output per year, reducing electricity costs by about EUR 70,000. Total savings over the entire lifespan of the solar power systems is seen at EUR 2 million.

Celje’s PV plants would produce 1,462 MWh of energy annually and save approximately EUR 200,000, translating to around EUR 5 million throughout their service life.

Investment for the long-term benefit of the community

Mayor of Šoštanj Boris Goličnik said the contract signifies the continuation of the municipality’s vision of energy independence.

“This is an investment in the future, in the green transition, and for a permanent benefit of our community,” he stated.

According to Celje’s Mayor Matija Kovač, it is a strategic decision on managing energy, costs, and the environment in the future. He said the planned PV units are just the beginning.

Sebastijan Roudi, ECE CEO, asserted that as part of the HSE group, the firm places grea t emphasis on demanding energy projects, developing new billing models, and seeking ways to accelerate the green transition.

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September 26, 2025
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Greece mulls subsidizing green energy as loan to energy-intensive industry

The Greek government intends to support energy-intensive industries through a new mechanism involving renewable energy.

In recent days, discussions took place between the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) and the ministries of environment and energy, finance, and development. The employers’ organization presented a so-called Italian plan. It is based on Italy’s Energy Release 2.0 scheme.

The assistance would be provided in the form of a green energy loan. Around 400 industrial consumers would benefit from lower power prices, at EUR 60 per MWh, for three years. In return, they would be obliged to invest in renewable energy and return twice as much cheap electricity within a period of 20 years.

Based on the proposal, the industries are expected to add about 1.75 GW, of which 80% in photovoltaics and 20% in wind power capacity. The estimated amount of low-cost electricity that they would be entitled to is 10 TWh, and the cost of the scheme is seen at EUR 285 million per year for three years.

Brussels approval critical

SEV expressed the belief that the European Commission would easily accept the plan, after Italy got partial approval. However, another industry association, the Hellenic Union of Industrial Consumers of Energy (UNICEN), warned that the other country’s scheme has not yet formally obtained a green light from the administration in Brussels.

Namely, the EU sent a letter to the Italian authorities, listing the changes they needed to make. According to UNICEN, the Greek model would be approved if it follows the proposed revised version.

The ministers consider SEV’s proposal acceptable, but they said they needed to figure out the financing details. Other mechanisms are not yet off the table. Importantly, they cannot include direct state support because of restrictions set by European competition law. It stipulates that a government cannot simply provide money to a sector unless the scheme implies investments, such as in green energy.

“We are interested in a fair intervention with a holistic view, in order to focus on the most heavily affected businesses. Also, the scheme should not cause fiscal problems,” Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis stated.

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September 26, 2025
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Eurowind Energy’s solar power project in Romania gets CfD thanks to auction list dropouts

Eurowind Energy’s Ewe Solar Project in Romania, of 110 MW, is now eligible for government support in the form of a contract for difference (CfD), even though it landed just below the line in the last renewable energy auction. It got upgraded from the reserve list as the developer of two winning photovoltaic endeavors has decided to exclude some sections.

Depending on the policy framework and market conditions, renewable energy investors sometimes opt for power purchase agreements (PPAs) or the electricity exchange instead of locking in a fixed price for the long term in a government support scheme. Enery Element, which won CfDs in Romania’s last solar power auction, decided not to sign some of the contracts. It means Eurowind Energy, the first in the reserve list with its Ewe Solar Project, can now fill the quota instead of its competitor.

Enery Element has obtained the rights to the CfDs with two projects that it conveniently split into several sections each. It enabled it to withdraw only parts of the future photovoltaic plants.

Enery Element cancels three sections of 46 MW altogether

Enery Element pulled away two of the 11 lots that its subsidiary Baboia Solar Plant won for a facility in Ogrizeni in Giurgiu county.

They were the lowest strike prices in the entire auction: EUR 35.77 per MWh and EUR 36.33 per MWh. The proposed two sections, for a combined capacity of 25.9 MW, lowered the total to 324.2 MW.

According to an earlier update, the solar power plant would have 535 MW in peak capacity. The project firm also won a grant of EUR 6.1 million for a 121.9 MWh battery energy storage system.

Baboia Solar Plant, also known as Ogrizeni, would include a subsidized BESS of 121.9 MWh

Enery Element is a joint venture between Austrian renewable energy company Enery Development and its Bulgarian partner Element Power Group.

Conversely, with Siret Solar Plant, Enery Element canceled the part with the highest strike price of the four that were selected. The levels were from EUR 38.76 per MWh to EUR 38.79 per MWh.

It slashed the part of the capacity qualified for CfDs in the Dumbrava 2 project to 88.5 MW from 108.6 MW. The developer didn’t reveal the reason for its move.

Eurowind Energy lifts auction’s highest strike price to EUR 46 per MWh

The Ministry of Energy said it would replace the canceled capacity with Ewe Solar Project of 110 MW. It is a special purpose vehicle, working under Denmark-based Eurowind Energy.

The accepted price is EUR 46 per MWh, while the new lowest level on the list is EUR 36.69 per MWh, for a segment of the Baboia Solar Plant.

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September 26, 2025
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Researchers from Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia creating carbon footprint calculator for glass products

A group of researchers from Serbia, Slovenia, and Denmark is creating a completely new, scientifically based tool for assessing environmental impact – a carbon footprint calculator for glass products. The calculator can contribute to reducing the total greenhouse gas emissions in the sector to zero.

The project Glassmaking Tradition Meets Innovation is implemented by Slovenian organization Kreativno središče Center Rog, three entities in Serbia – Foundation Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Creative Glass Serbia initiative, and the Foundation for the Advancement of Economics (FREN) – and the Museum Sydøstdanmark from Denmark.

The calculator is based on an original and innovative methodology that will conduct an interdisciplinary analysis of different types of glass materials, especially glass waste, and the ways they can be creatively processed, according to Creative Glass Serbia.

Molnar: Glass practically never has to become waste

The tool will enable artists and creative entrepreneurs across Europe who work with glass to calculate the carbon footprint of various handcrafted glass items. With the help of the calculator, they will be able to reevaluate their materials, techniques, tools, designs, and ideas to develop more sustainable practices and create new values that are in line with modern ecological standards in an era when humanity is struggling with the consequences of climate change.

Photo: Creative Glass Serbia

Dejan Molnar from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Belgrade, a member of the project team, noted that glass is one of the most recyclable materials. Unlike, for example, plastic and metals, during recycling it doesn’t lose quality and it has a lower carbon footprint.

If used and recycled properly, glass practically never has to be considered waste, he pointed out.

In his words, the European Union recycles nearly 80% of glass packaging, with even more ambitious goals aiming to increase the recycled glass packaging rate to 90% by 2030.

In Serbia, 45% to 50% of glass packaging is recycled

“Unfortunately, the situation in this area is not as ‘bright’ in the Western Balkans region, nor in Serbia. In our country, recycling ranges between 45% and 50%,” said Molnar, who is also a member of FREN.

He recalled that currently there is no tool that assesses environmental standards during the production of glass products, and that buyers of artistic glass pieces are paying more attention to how green the products are.

Therefore, one of the most important results of the carbon footprint calculator will be very useful in a broader sense – to raise public awareness about environmentally sustainable and circular business models and ideas in glassmaking practices, he explained.

The calculator will be introduced in Serbia and Europe by the end of November. The project is co-financed by the European Union. It lasts from 2024 to 2027.

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