The Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, recently visited Romania’s largest battery energy storage capacity, located in Constanța County, an investment by the company Monsson.
The storage unit has an installed capacity of 24 MWh (6MWx4h) and was built by Monsson as part of a unique project currently being patented, using locally produced batteries. The facility visited by Minister Burduja is part of a larger storage capacity and represents the first stage of a project that will have a total capacity of 216 MWh. The concept developed in Constanța County is modular and suitable for large-scale storage solutions, utilizing the latest monitoring and safety technologies available in Romania for such products. The monitoring and control software is developed by Monsson’s team and is usable for complex systems, including hybrid solar-wind-storage projects as well as energy trading. Monsson’s solution uses batteries from the local industry, produced by the Romanian company Prime Batteries Technology.
The storage unit will be charged with energy produced by the existing 50MW Wind Park, solar energy from the 35MW Galbiori 2 Solar Park financed through the PNRR, as well as from the national grid when there is no wind or sunlight. The control of the hybrid project is fully automated and managed remotely, with no on-site operational personnel, functioning as an integrated system through Monsson’s proprietary software.
Monsson is currently developing the second phase of the 216MWh battery energy storage project, which involves the construction of 96MWh, composed of 3 storage blocks of 8MW x 4h each. This phase is in an advanced stage of construction, having reached over 90% completion. The third phase of the project is expected to begin in January 2025.
“I am delighted to see, here in Mireasa, Constanța County, an example of what Romania can achieve in the green transition with clean energy for future generations. We’re talking about a battery storage capacity that allows us to store part of the intermittent green energy we have when the wind blows or the sun shines, and use it at other times, benefiting from more secure, lower-cost, truly clean energy. This is an example of good practice, with 98% of all equipment being manufactured in the European Union and over 60% produced in our country. It’s also significant that the 35MW Galbiori 2 solar park, which is part of this energy complex, is financed by the Ministry of Energy through the PNRR. This is one of the contracts we are proud of. Energy production and storage are key objectives of my mandate, as they will ensure security and fair prices on bills. So far, we have signed 297 contracts for new renewable energy production capacities, with a total value of over 2 billion euros and an installed capacity of 1881 MW. We are in the final stretch with the storage investments under the PNRR—we will soon sign contracts for 1500 MWh of storage capacity. We expect to see these investments completed in 2025-2026,” said Sebastian Burduja, Minister of Energy.
“The investment is funded from our own resources and was initiated with the goal of reducing the volatility of renewable energy production in our portfolio and potentially assisting in balancing the National Energy System. The first phase of the project is already operational and accredited, and the second phase will begin testing on November 15, 2024. We believe Romania urgently needs as many storage capacities as possible. The modular energy storage technology we have developed in-house and successfully use enables the rapid construction and safe, efficient operation of the facility for at least 30 years,” added Sebastian Enache, a member of Monsson’s board.