Romania’s hydropower plant Hidroelectrica (BVB: H2O) has under different stages of development battery energy storage system - BESS projects with a total capacity of over 3,000 MWh, some of them able to deliver energy at nameplate capacity for four hours, according to Economica.net, based on data included in the company’s reports. 

A first project is the one attached to the Crucea wind farm and includes a 72 MWh storage facility – capable of operating at 36 MW for two hours. The investment received authorisation from the market regulator ANRE. The battery, a project in which the Romanian companies Prime Batteries and Enevo are also involved, will be operational in three months at most, much earlier than the initial deadline.

Another major project is a storage facility at Iron Gates 2 hydropower plant on the Danube, with 64 MW of power and 256 MWh of capacity, announced by Hidroelectrica last summer. In its recently published 2025 annual report, the battery storage facility at Iron Gates 2 is “in the procurement procedure; pending resolution of the appeal.” The estimate for entry into operation is the first semester of 2027.

In addition to these two projects - one nearing completion and one close to awarding the works - the company also has other storage facilities in its plans.

Design services for the Feasibility Study phase documentation are being carried out, for investment objectives proposed within the framework of Hidroelectrica's Investment Strategy, by increasing the photovoltaic production capacity and adding energy storage capacities in batteries at the Lower Olt River sector HPP with a production capacity of 100 MWp, and storage capacity of 200MW/800MWh at hydropower plants (HPPs) Ipotești, Drăgănești, Frunzaru, Rusănești, Izbiceni.

The development of Concept Notes, Design Topics, and Feasibility Study for the installation of battery storage capacities at river power plants, with an approximate total capacity of 2,000 MWh (HPP: Subcetate, Bretea, Retezat, Ruieni in Retezat mountains) is underway.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Malpetr/Dreamstime.com)