Econergy has launched commercial operations at its 70 MW/141 MWh Părău 1 battery project in Romania, paired with an existing 92 MW solar plant to create a 162 MW hybrid site. The fully merchant BESS can charge from the grid during low or negative prices, with Econergy expecting €9.7 million in storage revenue.
From ESS News
Econergy has launched commercial operations for the fully merchant 70 MW / 141 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at its Părău 1 project in Brașov, Romania. The battery joins a 92 MW solar array that has been active since early 2024, bringing the site’s combined capacity to 162 MW across a 113-hectare footprint.
The €85 million ($98.8 million) project is fully owned by the developer and operates entirely on a merchant basis. The BESS features dedicated grid-import capacity, enabling the battery to charge directly from the grid during periods of low or negative pricing, as well as to capture clipped generation from the adjacent solar plant.
Operating a large battery on a purely merchant basis in Romania means little protection on revenues. But with the nation recently surpassing 1 GW of utility-scale battery capacity, charging from the grid to capitalize on negative pricing windows provides additional revenue that standalone solar doesn’t offer, hedging the asset.
