Romanian state-owned electricity producer Hidroelectrica, the country’s largest electricity provider, has announced a tender for the construction of an energy storage facility at its Crucea wind farm located in the Dobrogea region.
Hidroelectrica acquired the Crucea wind farm, which has an installed capacity of 108 MW, from the German group STEAG more than three years ago. The company is now planning to install a storage facility with a power output of 36 MW and a nominal capacity of 72 MWh. The estimated value of the contract is around €20 million, plus VAT.
Previously, Hidroelectrica reported that regulatory constraints forced the Crucea wind farm to operate at only 99% of its capacity, maintaining a 1% reserve. This limitation resulted in financial losses exceeding €1.9 million between 2015 and 2022. The addition of an energy storage facility is expected to help mitigate the imbalances between forecasted and actual electricity production due to variable wind conditions.