The energy ministry, pushing to meet EU Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) deadlines to maximize gains, including 200 million euros available as investment support for new standalone battery installations offering a total capacity of 900 MW, plans to stage an inaugural auction for this energy-storage technology in late June.

As part of the effort, the ministry is working to deliver a ministerial decision specifying all details concerning the auction by mid-April, which would pave the way for RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, to announce a related auction by the end of the month or early in May, giving prospective bidders time to prepare.

At this stage, it appears the investment support for 900 MW in standalone battery installations will be offered over two auctions, each offering support for roughly 450 MW. Officials aim to schedule the second auction for a few months after the first and definitely within 2023.

The forthcoming ministerial decision’s auction specifications will include technical details. RES projects to be eligible for the auction are expected to face 100-MW capacity limits, securing the participation of a sufficient number of projects located at various parts of the grid.

Also, RES projects incorporating energy storage systems offering durations of two and four hours will be offered priority, sources informed.