Albania’s Project Blue has placed an order for a 130 MWh battery system with Sungrow for the first phase of a subsidy-free solar development. The battery arrangement is described as an early test of whether merchant solar-plus-storage can operate at scale without state-backed revenue support. The order was placed for equipment supply rather than confirmation of financial close or commercial operation.
Battery package and first-phase solar capacity
The order covers 26 PowerTitan 2.0 battery systems and 13 transformer units. It relates to the first 185 MWp phase of the Project Blue solar development. Financial terms and commissioning dates for the battery order were not disclosed.
Planned expansion to additional solar and storage
Developers Matrix Konstruksion and Blessed Investment Group are also planning a second phase for Project Blue. The second phase includes an additional 164 MWp of solar and an 80 MW/180 MWh BESS. Together, the wider Project Blue development would reach 349 MWp of solar and more than 300 MWh of storage.
Market context for merchant solar-plus-storage
Albania is adding solar rapidly but remains heavily dependent on hydropower and electricity imports during poor hydrological periods. Battery storage is described as a way to reduce exposure to low daytime prices by shifting solar output into higher-value evening hours. It can also provide balancing services and reduce the volume of electricity that must be curtailed when the grid is saturated.
The Project Blue development is being carried out without government subsidies, unlike auction-backed projects. Financing is therefore expected to rely more heavily on merchant-price assumptions, offtake arrangements, and the ability of storage to capture intraday spreads. If Project Blue reaches operation on a merchant basis, it could serve as a benchmark for the bankability of unsubsidised solar-storage projects across the Western Balkans.