The Greek energy regulator has awarded 300 MW of new battery storage capacity in the nation's second energy storage tender, split among 11 projects. The tender is part of the country’s 1 GW energy storage auction program. The projects range in size from 8,875 MW/17,75 MWh to 49,9 MW/100 MWh).
An increasing number of local and foreign companies are interested in building energy storage facilities in sun-loving Greece using battery technology. In fact, the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has been receiving applications for permits concerning battery storage plants.
Specialist battery company Sunlight, a member of Olympia Group, will significantly increase manufacturing capacity and create new jobs at its state-of-the-art plant in Xanthi, northern Greece, following a €25 million, 10-year loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) which was confirmed earlier in Athens today.
Of its EUR-560-million business plan, the company will invest EUR 450 million to boost its sales network and production capacity up to 6.3 million battery cells by the end of 2023. This effort includes investment in equipment and mergers and acquisitions.
The projects range in size from 8,875 MW/17,75 MWh to 49,9 MW/100 MWh). The regulator said the auction was highly competitive, leading to an average tender price of €47,680 ($51,506)/MW per year. Greece’s energy storage auction program awards contracts-for-difference (CfD) over periods of 10 years.
Public Power Corp. (PPC) has also set its sight on storage and recently received a permit for a 100 MW project in Ptolemaida in Western Macedonia. Other companies include Magna Victoria, Melven, Mars BESS and MS Komotini, which have already received permits for a combined 400 MW of battery capacity in various large projects.