OMV Petrom and the Romanian company Simtel Team have signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a battery energy storage system (BESS). This is to be installed at the Ișalnița solar farm in Dolj County, the first large-scale solar project wholly owned by OMV Petrom. Construction of the battery is expected to be completed in around seven months from signing the contract.

“Through the energy storage projects, we are strengthening our power portfolio and contributing to the development of the energy system of the future. Energy storage enables greater flexibility, improves the integration of renewable energy generation and contributes to a more resilient power grid,” said Franck Neel, member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board responsible for Gas and Power.

The battery storage facility will have an installed capacity of 20 MW and a storage capacity of 40 MWh.

The battery system is designed to store electricity generated during periods of high renewable production and make it available when demand is higher, contributing to better grid stability and more efficient use of renewable energy.

Construction work is currently underway at the Ișalnița photovoltaic park. It will have an installed capacity of approximately 89 MWp and is estimated to generate around 130 GWh of renewable electricity annually.

OMV Petrom is strengthening its position in the electricity market with a portfolio that includes the 860 MW Brazi power plant, over 1,200 MW of renewable capacity currently under construction in collaboration with partners, and energy storage projects in Romania and Bulgaria. These include the Gabare project in Bulgaria, which is expected to provide a storage capacity of around 600 MWh.