Developer and independent power producer (IPP) R.Power has been awarded €15 million (approximately US$15.6 million) in non-reimbursable state funding to build its first large-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) in Romania. The funding, totaling RON 74.6 million, was granted by Romania’s Ministry of Energy and was announced by R.Power on LinkedIn on January 3, 2025. This project will feature a 127 MW power rating and an energy storage capacity of 254 MWh, making it one of the largest BESS projects in Romania to date. However, R.Power has not disclosed when the project will become operational.
The financial support comes from Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), part of a broader EU initiative designed to help countries recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over recent years, the program has increasingly focused on clean energy and energy storage projects, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. As part of its green energy push, Romania recently announced that 18 solar and storage projects, totaling 2.5 GWh of capacity, would receive a share of €73.8 million in PNRR funding. R.Power’s project is likely among these.
R.Power, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, is active in several European countries, including Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Germany. The company develops and operates energy projects and occasionally sells some of its developments. It was also a notable winner in Poland’s recent capacity market (CM) auction, securing 655 MW/2.3 GWh of BESS projects, generating PLN 1.6 billion (US$394 million) in revenues. In addition to its activities in Romania, R.Power is involved in several renewable energy and storage initiatives across Europe.
In related news, IPP Renalfa has acquired a 258 MW solar project in Teleorman, Romania, which is expected to begin operations in 2027. The project will feature 1 GWh of co-located BESS, although further details about the solar and storage components have yet to be released.
Romania has set a target to expand its energy production capacity to 32 GW by 2030, as per the latest draft of its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). However, the country’s goal of generating 38.3% of its power from renewable sources falls short of the European Commission’s recommendation of 41%. Additionally, Renalfa, which owns the largest operational BESS project in Bulgaria, a 25 MW/55 MWh system, continues to make strides in the region’s energy transition.
