PPC Renewables is advancing a 60 MW/129 MWh battery project positioned alongside its operating 120 MW Târgușor wind farm, bringing the asset closer to construction. The battery would be colocated with the wind facility in Constanța. The move is described as part of a broader shift in Romania toward hybrid assets built around storage and trading.
Romanian regulator ANRE is expected to consider the establishment authorisation for the Zephyr 1 battery project. The investment is estimated at roughly €24.7 million, including about €2.7 million in support from the EU Modernisation Fund. While the project was previously announced, reaching the establishment-authorisation stage is presented as a more significant milestone.
Zephyr 1 authorisation and project readiness requirements
The developer is required to demonstrate greater project maturity as it progresses toward establishment authorisation. That includes showing financing and technical readiness for the Zephyr 1 battery. The battery’s placement next to an operating wind farm links the development timeline to an existing generation site.
PPC’s next step at Târgușor indicates storage planning extending beyond projects still in early stages. The same battery concept is being applied to an operating asset rather than being limited to new-build renewable developments. This approach aligns with a wider market pattern emerging in Romania’s storage pipeline.
Storage hybridisation across wind and solar generation profiles
Solar batteries typically charge during predictable midday surpluses and discharge during evening peaks. Wind output is less predictable and can occur overnight or during periods when solar generation is absent. Combining storage with an operating wind farm can therefore help smooth production, manage imbalance exposure, and shift electricity toward higher-value hours.
The battery arrangement may also reduce curtailment risk when local networks are congested. Romania’s first major storage wave was dominated by solar, but wind-storage hybridisation targets a different market profile. Storage deployment is therefore being shaped by how generation profiles interact with charging and discharging needs.
Romania’s expanding storage market and second-wave development
Romania’s storage market has expanded rapidly during 2026. Large developers are now planning systems measured in hundreds of megawatt-hours or even gigawatt-hours, while state support increasingly prioritises flexibility rather than only funding additional renewable generation capacity.
The Zephyr 1 project is smaller than some recently announced batteries, but its relevance is tied to the operating asset it accompanies. Storage is increasingly being retrofitted or colocated with existing operating renewable plants, creating conditions for what is described as a second-wave market for batteries.
Romania already has a large installed fleet of wind and solar assets whose grid connections and generation profiles could potentially support batteries. For owners, adding storage can extract more value from infrastructure they already control. For the power system, storage can make variable renewable plants more manageable as market participants.
The shift described in the market is moving from renewable capacity growth toward renewable optimisation through hybrid configurations. PPC’s Târgușor development reflects that transition using a battery paired with an operating wind farm rather than focusing solely on standalone storage projects.
