Enery Launched in Commercial Operation the Sarmasag PV Power Plant in Romania with 51.4 MWp Capacity and 22 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS)

/BUCHAREST, October 22, 2024, 9:00 GMT, ENERY/ Enery proudly announces the official inauguration of its newest photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Sărmășag, Sălaj County, Romania. With an installed capacity of 51.4 MWp, the Sărmășag PV plant is set to generate 64.8 GWh of clean energy annually, powering approximately 38,270 households and contributing to significant CO2 emissions savings of 16,208 tonnes annually. A key feature of the plant is its 22 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), which will be fully operational by the end of the year. The system includes 11 containers, each with a 2 MWh capacity, along with a dedicated transformer, providing excellent grid stability and enhancing the reliability of renewable energy.

Our new plant will supply Ursus Breweries, part of Asahi Europe & International (AEI), with green energy through a long-term Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA). The renewable energy generated by the Sărmășag PV plant will power the production of Ursus beers in Romania, supporting Asahi Europe & International’s broader sustainability objective to achieve 100% green electricity by 2025 and carbon neutrality across all European breweries by 2030.

This is the third green PPA between Enery and breweries within the Asahi Europe & International group in Central and Eastern Europe. We are very happy to have become a key partner of our customer, Asahi Europe & International, and for their trust in Enery to supply green electricity for their CEE operations.

The project was successfully financed by UniCredit Bank Romania, which provided a total financing package of €39.3 million. This funding supported the construction of the Sărmășag PV plant and marks the second large-scale project in Southeast Europe that Enery has developed with UniCredit’s backing.

“We are happy to open our first self-constructed power plant in Romania and would like to thank our partners and the Enery team to making this happen. After entering the market in 202X, we are proud to open our first co-located PV and battery site today. True to our core belief in providing reliable long-term green electricity to our customers, we will sell its output to Ursus Breweries. This is the third PPA we have concluded with Asahi, so we are very proud that we can help such a blue-chip customer with their sustainability efforts but also to provide them with long-term electricity at fixed prices. We share the vision of the government to transfer the economy into a green economy, provide cheap and reliable electricity to the industry in Romania and affordable green electricity for the households. Romania needs a lot more green electrons and storage facilities for a decarbonized industry, for the decarbonization of transport, datacenters and the decarbonization of heat. Enery aims to play a key part in this.“, said Lukas Nemec, COO, Enery.

About Enery

Enery is an independent renewable energy provider dedicated to supplying its customers with reliable, affordable, long-term green energy. With a diversified green fleet currently generating almost 700 GWh of clean electricity from 490 MW and powering 277,706 households, Enery is at the forefront of driving the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region’s transition to sustainable energy. The company’s ambitious plans include ongoing development projects with more than 8 GW in 11 countries. With its diverse and multidisciplinary team of 30 nationalities, Enery focuses on developing, constructing, and operating renewable energy projects while integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into every aspect of its business operations.

History of Solar Market Development in Romania

By the end of 2011, the country had approximately 3MW installed capacity, by the end of 2012, this capacity increased fourteenfold to approximately 42MW, and with a more than thirty-fold explosive growth, cumulative installed capacity reached 1,293MW (1.29GW) by the end of 2014. However, solar photovoltaic market growth in Romania between 2015 and 2020 was moderate, with only 97MW newly installed capacity in this period. The Renewable Market Watch™ registered that after a 7-year stagnation in the solar power market in Romania since 2021, the activity in the solar energy sector increased, and the number of photovoltaic projects under development and construction is promptly increasing. According to the latest market data, the Romanian solar PV market added more than 1 GW of newly installed capacity and scored a remarkable 308 % increase compared to the previous year's growth. Thus, Romania reached a cumulative solar capacity of 2.9 GW at the end of 2023.

Romania Solar Resource Potential

Romania has very good solar resource potential as the geographical location is favourable for utilising solar energy. Romania is located in an area with a solar potential of 210 sunny days per year and with an annual solar energy flux between 1,000 kWh/m²/year and 1,300 kWh/m²/year. From this total amount, around 600 to 800 kWh/m²/year is technically feasible.

Chart 1: Solar Resource Map of Romania; Sources: World Bank Group, ESMAP, SolarGis

According to the study of the Faculty of Energy Engineering at the University of Oradea in the South of Romania, the yearly solar radiation is 1450 ÷ 1750 kWh / m², being the best value for solar installations. The values greater than 1450 kWh/m² are in Oltenia, Muntenia, and the South of Moldova. The most important solar regions of Romania are the Black Sea coast, Dobrogea, and Oltenia, with an average of 1,600 kWh/m²/year.

Future Market Trend

The Romanian solar energy market is expected to be heading toward the expansion phase by 2033. Factors propelling the market growth include concerns regarding the environmental impacts of fossil fuels, such as degradation, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), severe climate change conditions, and others. Also, rapid urbanization and economic growth in the largest Romanian cities are significant factors driving the solar energy market. The military conflict in Ukraine has impacted the power market (including the solar photovoltaic sector) in Romania, but we remain optimistic about the future solar energy development in the country by 2033.

For more information about the solar power market in Romania, including full contact details of solar project owners and developers, you may read here: Romania Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook 2024÷2033  

In order to download the executive summary brochure with sample pages, please access from here:  Romania Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Market Outlook - Sample

For a better understanding of the benefits of using our reports, you may read here: Benefit List - Reports of Renewable Market Watch - 2024

 About Renewable Market Watch™

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