Montenegro’s 2025 battery storage tender for 60 MW / 240 MWh shows why procurement should account for lifetime energy delivery, grid compliance and warranty performance, not only the initial EPC price. A low bid may carry greater long-term performance and financing risk if it delivers less usable energy or underperforms during the warranty period.
Material from EPCG put the cost of Montenegro’s original procurement at around 48 million euros. Reported costs range from around 48 million euros to 58.8 million euros, depending on the project stage. The figures should not be treated as directly comparable without accounting for differences in scope.
Other regional projects offer context but are not directly comparable. HELLENiQ ENERGY’s project in Thessaloniki has 100 MW / 200 MWh of capacity and represents an investment of about 50 million euros. Bulgaria’s expansion at Tenevo is for 246 MW / 512.5 MWh and is supported by a 60 million euro financing package.
Comparing battery tenders beyond upfront cost
The projects differ in connection works, warranties and co-located infrastructure, as well as in scope. Those differences affect what each reported cost covers. Headline euros per kWh or initial capital expenditure alone therefore do not provide a consistent basis for ranking bids.
Tenders should compare guaranteed usable MWh at commissioning and throughout the warranty period, alongside round-trip efficiency, auxiliary load, degradation and any augmentation obligations. Assessments should also cover power conversion system capability, grid-code functions, fire protection, energy management system integration and spare-parts support.
A lower-priced bid that retains less capacity can have a higher lifetime cost per discharged MWh. Delayed commissioning may cause a project to miss a subsidy deadline, a grid reservation or the strongest early-market revenue window. The vendor’s financial strength also matters, because a warranty has value only if its counterparty remains solvent and able to honour it.
For lenders, the preferred EPC package is therefore not necessarily the cheapest. The priority is to reduce uncertainty around lifetime cash generation. Packages should also secure enforceable remedies for underperformance, alongside demonstrated usable energy and compliance with grid requirements.