The energy ministry is working to complete plans by the end of this year for a first auction, no later than February, 2024, offering investment and operational support to mature-level solar energy projects possessing connection terms and planned to incorporate batteries, energypress sources have informed.

According to the sources, the upcoming first auction will offer investors support for a total capacity of between 200 and 300 MW, as part of the ministry’s wider plan to aid a 2-GW portfolio of solar energy farms with batteries behind the meter.

The ministry’s objective is to preserve as much grid capacity as possible. The addition of batteries to solar energy projects, even if small-sized with capacity to store just one hour’s worth of energy, offers a 50 percent reduction in grid capacity occupied by projects.

A considerable number of projects are expected to take part in the series of support auctions, power grid operator IPTO’s development program data for 2024 to 2033, published last June, has indicated.

According to this data, 10,590 MW of photovoltaics have connection terms for the transmission system and 1,141 MW for the distribution network.

As previously reported by energypress, RES projects taking part in these auctions will face strict electrification deadlines, the objective being to limit participation to truly feasible RES projects with batteries.

As a result, IPTO will know when grid capacity will be released by photovoltaics and be in a position to offer investors precise information on connection-term delivery.