Battery planned for Fântânele-Vest wind farm
PPC Renewables Romania plans to install a 45.72 MW/91.44 MWh battery at the Fântânele-Vest wind farm, adding two hours of storage to the site’s generation. The project is designed to be integrated with the 262.5 MW Fântânele-Vest facility, which includes 105 turbines. The battery is part of the broader 600 MW Fântânele-Cogealac complex, acquired by Greek utility PPC in 2024. The wider complex generates approximately 1.25 TWh annually.
Investment cost and EU Modernisation Fund support
The estimated investment cost for the battery project is €18.8 million, equivalent to about €411,000 per MW or €206 per kWh of storage capacity. The EU Modernisation Fund will contribute €1.55 million, covering around 8.3% of the total. PPC will finance the remaining €17.3 million.
Role in short-duration optimisation and grid services
With an energy capacity of 91.44 MWh, the battery cannot shift a large share of the wind farm’s daily output. Instead, its operational focus is on short-duration optimisation to reduce imbalance exposure and respond to forecast errors. The battery can also shift generation between low- and high-price hours and provide ancillary services.
Revenue streams and market participation requirements
The project’s economics are expected to depend on access to multiple revenue streams rather than a single market product. Day-ahead arbitrage alone may be insufficient to support the investment during periods of compressed spreads. Other potential income sources include balancing services, intraday trading, congestion management and reduced curtailment.
PPC storage rollout across Romania
PPC has announced similar storage investments at the Corugea wind farm and the Colibași solar plant. This indicates batteries are being positioned as a standard element of PPC’s Romanian renewable portfolio rather than standalone pilots. The company currently operates approximately 1.6 GW of renewable capacity in Romania and plans to reach 3.6 GW by end-2028 and 4.7 GW by 2030.
Financing structure tied to portfolio flexibility needs
The relatively modest grant contribution is also reflected in PPC’s funding approach for the project. PPC is committing most of the capital itself, with the remaining portion coming from the EU Modernisation Fund contribution of €1.55 million. As PPC expands its renewable fleet, portfolio-level forecasting and balancing requirements are expected to increase alongside storage deployment needs.
