System integrator NHOA Energy will provide Spanish transmission system operator (TSO) Red Eléctrica with 140MW/105MWh of BESS for two separate storage-as-transmission projects on the Balearic Islands.
The two battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, for which the individual sizes weren’t revealed, will provide continuous support services to the islands’ grids, NHOA Energy said.
They will reinforce the safe and continuous supply of electricity and maximise the power exchange of existing and future interconnections between mainland and Spain and Mallorca Island, encouraging the decarbonisation of the Balearic Islands, NHOA said.
The Balearic Islands archipelago lies off the east coast of Spain, made up of 151 islands in total, although the four main ones accounting for 99% of the population are Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, and Formentera.
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The two projects for which NHOA is providing the BESS are part of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of Spain, EU member states’ roadmap for decarbonisation. Spain recently increased its energy storage deployment target for 2030 as part of its NECP, to 22.5GW.
NHOA claimed the project is the largest storage-as-transmission project in Southern Europe. Similar projects, where BESS is deployed solely for a TSO’s grid management, have also been done in Germany (called Grid Boosters) and Lithuania.
Fabrizio Ciaccia, VP EMEA for NHOA Energy, commented: “By strengthening the interconnection between the islands and the mainland, the project shows how integrated energy storage solutions can be effectively implemented to foster the resiliency of national grids, in every landscape, especially in critical areas.”
One way Spain is supporting the industry’s efforts to get to that 22.5GW figure is via its PERTE tender which awarded grants for the construction of over 800MW of BESS projects in December 2023.
According to local reports, the biggest winners were utility and independent power producer (IPP) Iberdrola and developers Benbros Energy and ‘A Green Message’, with 55MW, 97MW and 149MW of winning projects, respectively.
Developer Rolwind last week claimed it has the first environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for a standalone BESS in Spain, a 200MW/800MWh system.
