IPP and energy trader Monsson has kicked off the environmental permit process for a 2GWh BESS project in Romania, which an executive said will use its own patented energy storage solution.
A subsidiary of the firm has submitted the 2,016MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project’s environmental permit approval application to the Constanța Environmental Protection Agency, according to news reports which were confirmed to Energy-Storage.news by Monsson board member Sebastian Enache.
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The 20-hectare project would be built in Stupina, in the Crucea Commune, and would require a total investment of €540 million (US$588 million), application documents show. The BESS would provide services to the electricity transmission system as well as help balance supply and demand on the network.
The reports did not reveal when the new 2GWh project would come online, but this stage of the process would typically mean it is still a few – or several – years away. However, the project reportedly does not need to go through an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which could speed it up. That was also the case with a 204MW BESS project from developer Electric Spot, which was waived through the EIA process by the National Agency for Environmental Protection in July.
Firm to use own solution
Whilst confirming the reports are accurate, Enache also told Energy-Storage.news that the project would use its own water-cooled ‘patented building storage’ and not a containerised solution.
The firm’s existing 6MW/24MWh project, which came online earlier this year, used BESS from local integrator Prime Batteries and proprietary energy management system (EMS) software and a patented water cooling system from Monsson, which Enache discussed at the time (Premium access).
That project was characterised at the time of commissioning by an EU body executive as ‘proof that European battery and ESS producers can compete with Asia‘, with Europe making big efforts to build up a domestic battery manufacturing ecosystem.
However, since then the most-funded European player in the space, Sweden-based Northvolt, has struggled. Sweden’s ambassador to Romania attended Monsson’s 24MWh project inauguration and Enache said at the time that Monsson was considering projects in Sweden, which could use Northvolt’s batteries.
Many more BESS projects coming in Romania
Monsson is also close to expanding the 24MWh project to 96MWh, with testing on the additional capacity due soon. The company has long-term plans to expand that site to 216MWh of energy storage capacity.
Numerous other firms are also deploying large-scale BESS in the country. According to the reports on Monsson’s project, Public Power Corp (PPC), Megalodon Storage, AOT Energy and EDPR Romania all have projects in the single-digit MW/MWh size.
A 70MWh project from DNO and IPP Electrica won a €3.4 million grant in September while IPP Econergy told Energy-Storage.news at Solar Media’s Energy Storage Summit Central Eastern Europe (CEE) 2024 that it was planning to add energy storage to its large solar PV portfolio in Romania.
See recent coverage of the Romanian energy storage market here.
