HELLENiQ ENERGY Unveils Landmark €50 Million Battery Storage Facility in Greece
"HELLENiQ ENERGY has launched a €50 million battery energy storage system in Thessaloniki, marking its inaugural large-scale storage installation. Delivering 100 MW of power and 200 MWh of capacity, the facility will provide vital grid-balancing services, curb renewable curtailment, and accelerate the group’s planned expansion across Southeast European clean energy markets."
EU Directive 2019/790 Article 15 Attribution • Verified Energy Document
HELLENiQ ENERGY has officially launched its inaugural large-scale battery energy storage facility in Thessaloniki, Greece, representing a significant investment of approximately €50 million. This strategic project aims to enhance the efficiency and utilization of renewable electricity across the region.
The new facility, developed by HELLENiQ Renewables at the group’s Thessaloniki industrial site, boasts an impressive installed power capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 200 megawatt-hours (MWh). This makes it one of the largest electricity storage projects in both Greece and Southeast Europe. The investment signals HELLENiQ ENERGY’s expansion beyond renewable electricity generation into critical infrastructure designed to make green energy more reliable and effective.
Key benefits of the battery park include providing essential flexibility and balancing services to Greece’s national electricity transmission system. This will bolster grid reliability, improve resilience, and contribute to national energy security. A crucial aspect of its operation is addressing renewable energy curtailment – the phenomenon where surplus clean energy cannot be utilized due to exceeding real-time demand. The facility will store this excess electricity and release it when needed, thereby minimizing waste and creating additional capacity for new renewable energy installations to connect to the national grid.
Sotiris Kapellos, chief executive of HELLENiQ Renewables, emphasized the strategic importance of this development. "Through continued investment in Greece and Southeast Europe over recent years, we have developed a strong portfolio of renewable energy and battery storage projects exceeding 6 GW, of which more than 700 MW are already operational," Kapellos stated. He added, "Today, we are investing strategically in electricity storage, a critical component of the energy system of the future." Kapellos further noted that batteries provide the necessary flexibility to integrate more renewable energy, reduce curtailments, and foster a more reliable, secure, and cost-efficient electricity system, ultimately leading to cleaner and more affordable energy for consumers.
The Thessaloniki facility is projected to complete at least one full charging and discharging cycle daily, storing over 200 MWh of electricity. This capacity is equivalent to fully charging approximately 3,000 electric vehicles every day. The project was selected through Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water (RAAEY)'s first competitive tender for energy storage systems and was implemented under Greece’s national recovery and resilience plan, Greece 2.0, with funding from the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme.
Spanning approximately 100,000 square metres, the installation features three battery storage stations utilizing lithium iron phosphate technology and a liquid cooling system, all designed to meet stringent international safety and reliability standards. The grid connection necessitated the construction of a new 33/150-kilovolt step-up substation and a five-kilometre underground high-voltage transmission line to the Thessaloniki Extra-High Voltage Centre. The project generated around 100 direct jobs during its construction phase and supported the local economy through collaborations with regional businesses and suppliers.
HELLENiQ ENERGY views this facility as a pivotal step in its growth strategy and its commitment to investing in infrastructure and technologies that deliver long-term value for Greece, its energy system, and its citizens. The group is also progressing with its second battery storage project in Florina, which is expected to be completed soon and will have a power capacity of 50 MW and a storage capacity of 200 MWh.
George Alexopoulos, deputy chief executive of HELLENiQ ENERGY, highlighted the broader impact. "Green energy storage is critical infrastructure, as it enables renewable energy production to be used more effectively, strengthens the reliability of the power system and creates the conditions for greater energy security and access to sustainable, affordable energy for all," he said. Alexopoulos concluded that the completion of this project marks another decisive step in HELLENiQ ENERGY’s strategy to build a robust power and renewables pillar, solidifying its presence across the entire spectrum of energy activities. The group's renewable energy and storage project portfolio under development now exceeds 6 gigawatts (GW), with over 1 GW of storage projects spanning Greece, Romania, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. HELLENiQ ENERGY aims to have 1.5 GW of renewable energy projects operational by 2028, increasing to over 2 GW by 2030, with a balanced portfolio of solar, wind, and storage assets across Southeast Europe.