Hidroelectrica is set to install a 64 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) next to the Portile de Fier 2 hydropower plant on the Danube, designed for a four-hour duration and a total storage capacity of at least 256 MWh. The company aims to award the contract by late autumn and complete the project within 23 months.
The tender includes design, manufacturing, installation, testing, and commissioning of the BESS, full integration with the hydro plant, connection to the high-voltage grid, and construction of a new 0.4/20 kV substation. Bids are due by 28 August, with the estimated contract value at approximately 61 million euros, excluding VAT. Funding will come from the EU Modernization Fund and Hidroelectrica’s own resources.
Portile de Fier 2 HPP, located on the Romanian bank near Gogosu in Mehedinti county, is part of the joint Danube hydro complex shared with Serbia’s Djerdap 2, commissioned in 1985. Each country owns half of the system, operating 10 units each. Romania’s side has 252 MW of installed capacity, while Serbia’s totals 270 MW and is scheduled for modernization. Hidroelectrica is also preparing to bring the long-idled 31 MW Unit 1 back into service.
The storage facility will provide balancing services for Romania’s electricity system and allow the run-of-river hydro plant to shift output. During periods of high river levels, part of the generation will be stored and later released when the grid requires it or market prices are higher, with operating schedules of the hydro units adjusted accordingly.
Beyond this project, Hidroelectrica is expanding its renewable energy portfolio. Plans include its first floating solar installation, deployment of solar arrays at 20 hydropower plants, the addition of a battery at its sole wind farm, and potential acquisitions, including a 250 MW wind project and four solar plants totaling 270 MW.