Albania’s Project Blue has placed an order for a 130 MWh battery system with Sungrow for the first phase of a solar development that is described as subsidy-free. The procurement is positioned as an early test of whether merchant solar-plus-storage can operate at scale in Albania without state-backed revenue support. Financial terms and commissioning dates for the battery order were not disclosed.
Battery equipment for first 185 MWp solar phase
The order includes 26 PowerTitan 2.0 battery systems and 13 transformer units. It relates to the first 185 MWp phase of the Project Blue solar programme. Developers Matrix Konstruksion and Blessed Investment Group are also planning a second phase.
The second phase would add another 164 MWp of solar capacity together with an 80 MW/180 MWh BESS. Combined, the wider Project Blue development would reach 349 MWp of solar and more than 300 MWh of storage. The battery order was described as an equipment-supply milestone rather than confirmation of financial close or commercial operation.
Role of storage in a hydropower- and import-dependent system
Albania is adding solar capacity while remaining heavily dependent on hydropower generation and electricity imports during periods of poor hydrological conditions. Battery storage is expected to shift solar output from daytime into higher-value evening hours, reducing exposure to low daytime prices. Storage can also provide balancing services.
The addition of storage is also linked to reducing curtailment volumes when the grid becomes saturated. Unlike auction-backed projects, Project Blue is being developed without government subsidies, changing the commercial basis for financing. Under this structure, financing depends more heavily on merchant-price assumptions, offtake arrangements and the ability of storage to capture intraday spreads.
Commercial benchmark for unsubsidised solar-storage projects
If Project Blue reaches operation on a merchant basis, it could serve as a benchmark for the bankability of unsubsidised solar-storage projects across the Western Balkans. The significance described in the procurement relates specifically to the commercial structure rather than any disclosed financial details or project start dates.
