February 12, 2026

by AEA in News

PPC Renewables Romania Adds 60.12 MWh Battery to Sălbatica Wind Complex

PPC Renewables Romania plans to install a battery energy storage system (BESS) with a capacity of 60.12 MWh within its Sălbatica 1 wind farm, as the company accelerates its storage rollout alongside existing renewable assets.

The storage project is valued at RON 68.2 million (EUR 13.4 million), PPC Renewables Romania said. The company operates the Sălbatica 1 and Sălbatica 2 wind farms, which together total 140 MW, located in Tulcea County in southeastern Romania.

PPC Renewables Romania is a subsidiary of Greece’s state-controlled Public Power Corporation (PPC).

Modernization Fund support of EUR 1.9 million

The BESS investment will be supported by the European Union’s Modernization Fund, through a public call aimed at financing electricity storage capacities connected to existing renewable generation facilities.

From the overall investment, RON 9.87 million (EUR 1.9 million) will come from the Modernization Fund, while the remainder will be financed by PPC Renewables Romania.

According to PPC, the battery will contribute to the development of storage capacity and improve the flexibility and efficiency of electricity produced from renewable sources.

Broader storage pipeline underway

PPC Renewables Romania is developing a series of storage projects across the country. The company plans to install:

27 MWh at the Topolog wind farm,
80 MWh at the Corugea wind farm, and
120 MWh in total at the Nicolae Bălcescu and Târgușor wind farms.

PPC operates 1.3 GW of wind, photovoltaic, and hydropower capacity in Romania. Its 600 MW Fântânele–Cogealac–Grădina wind farm is the country’s largest wind facility and already includes a BESS installation.

Romania’s largest BESS commissioned in December 2025

Romania’s largest battery storage system was inaugurated in December 2025 by Nova Power & Gas, doubling the country’s total BESS capacity. The facility in Florești, Cluj County, has an operating power of 200 MW and an energy capacity of 400 MWh.

January 23, 2026

by AEA in News

Greece adds 340 MW of wind farms in 2025, acceleration seen for this year

New wind capacity came in at 340 MW in Greece last year, with 76 onshore turbines installed, according to the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (HWEA or ELETAEN).

Installations increased by 6.4% on an annual scale and represented EUR 420 million in investment. Total wind capacity reached 5,695 MW in the country, with HWEA expecting a 900 MW rise in 2026.

Papastamatiou: 2 GW await connection

Based on these numbers, the wind sector appears to be going through rebirth, after several years of low to average installations. Currently, 1.1 GW of new projects are under construction or contracted and the majority is expected to come online within the next 18 months.

Added on top are 200 MW from previous auctions, which took place during the period 2018-2022. HWEA said that even though 1,592 MW was awarded, only 852.4 MW managed to connect to the grid by the end of 2025.

“Right now, about 2 GW of wind farms have an installation license, but have not been completed. Half of those are under construction or contracted. There are also 3 GW who have completed environmental licensing and await grid connection terms. Naturally, there are even more projects that go through the licensing jumble. All of them – especially the most efficient – constitute national wealth and can reduce energy costs for consumers,” said HWEA’s General Director, Panagiotis Papastamatiou.

Terna Energy and Vestas top the charts

The top 5 operators by capacity in Greece are Terna Energy (18.2%), MORE (13.6%), Iberdrola Rokas (7.2%), Principia (6.5%) and PPC Renewables (5.6%).

Vestas has the highest share among manufacturers, 44%. Enercon accounts for 25%, followed by Siemens Gamesa with 15.8% and Nordex, which is at 9.2%.

Notably, the day with the highest hourly wind share in power production was April 28, 2025, when wind farms supplied 97.2%. In total, these units covered more than 50% of the demand for 616 hours of the year.

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January 22, 2026

by AEA in News

Greece adds 340 MW of wind farms in 2025, acceleration seen for this year

New wind capacity came in at 340 MW in Greece last year, with 76 onshore turbines installed, according to the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (HWEA or ELETAEN).

Installations increased by 6.4% on an annual scale and represented EUR 420 million in investment. Total wind capacity reached 5,695 MW in the country, with HWEA expecting a 900 MW rise in 2026.

Papastamatiou: 2 GW await connection

Terna Energy and Vestas top the charts

The top 5 operators by capacity in Greece are Terna Energy (18.2%), MORE (13.6%), Iberdrola Rokas (7.2%), Principia (6.5%) and PPC Renewables (5.6%).

Vestas has the highest share among manufacturers, 44%. Enercon accounts for 25%, followed by Siemens Gamesa with 15.8% and Nordex, which is at 9.2%.

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November 3, 2025

by AEA in News

PPC building three battery storage facilities in Greece

PPC Group has launched the construction of a battery energy storage system in the area of its Amyntaio coal plant. The company is also building BESS facilities at its thermal power plants Kardia and Meliti, as it is preparing to end coal use in Greece. One BESS unit is under construction in Bulgaria, as well. In Romania, PPC is expanding its wind park project Deleni, which would bring its operational portfolio in the country to over 1.5 GW.

Public Power Corp. – PPC Group is investing in energy storage in Greece and surrounding countries, complementing its solar and wind power investments and contributing to the transformation of coal regions. The government-controlled utility revealed that its future battery energy storage system near the Amyntaio coal plant in the Western Macedonia region is under construction.

The new station will consist of batteries with 50 MW in operating power and a duration of four hours, translating to a capacity of 200 MWh. Wholly-owned subsidiary PPC Renewables is responsible for the project. It is for liquid-cooled batteries of the LFP (lithium iron phosphate) technology.

The construction of two more electrochemical storage stations is already underway in the same northern region, in the areas of the Kardia and Meliti thermal power plants, the company pointed out. Their combined capability would be 98 MW, for 196 MWh in capacity.

Western Macedonia region to host 860 MW of energy storage

The role of energy storage units for the system is critical, as they aim to support the operation of adjacent photovoltaic power plants and contribute to the stability of the electricity system, PPC Group added. It is planning 860 MW of energy storage in the Western Macedonia coal region. The company said it would create 1,300 jobs in the construction phase and hundreds during operation.

Two pumped storage hydropower projects are included in the portfolio. The one that would transform the Kardia mine is for 320 MW and eight hours, and the facility at the South Field mine would have 240 MW and a 12-hour duration. PPC Group said it has completed the permitting process for the latter.

Solar power plants of 2.13 GW in northern Greece nearing completion

Earlier this month, the utility said its solar power projects in Western Macedonia of 2.13 GW overall are moving ahead at a fast pace and within schedule, in areas around coal plants Ptolemaida, Kardia, Agios Dimitrios and Amyntaio. Overall, upon their completion, the photovoltaic clusters in the region, largest ones in the entire Europe, will generate almost 3.15 TWh of electricity per year, the company added.

Coal land in the Western Macedonia region is turning into endless solar parks

It is equivalent to over 6% of the annual energy consumption in the Greek mainland. Utilising the land of the former lignite mines of Ptolemaida, Kardia, and Agios Dimitrios, PV plants totaling 1.19 GW are being installed, of which 90% is complete and some is in operation.

The clusters include PPC Group’s flagship project, of 550 MW. It would be the biggest facility of its kind in Southeastern Europe excluding Turkey.

In cooperation with the German company RWE, the construction of photovoltaic plants in Amyntaio of 940 MW overall is also advancing rapidly toward completion, the latest update reads.

Advancing investments in Bulgaria, Romania

In addition, the company said it is building a BESS unit of 25 MW and 55 MWh in neighboring Bulgaria.

As for other recent news, PPC said it is expanding its Deleni wind park project in Vaslui county in northwest Romania. The first phase, 140 MW, is supposed to be completed by the end of the year. The addition would amount to 85 MW, consisting of 14 turbines, the Greek company added.

The site is at the Bogdănița commune. With the 225 MW in Deleni, PPC in Romania would reach 1.5 GW in operational capacity.

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August 12, 2025

by AEA in News

Greek coal region of Megalopolis opens new chapter after lignite

Last year, for the first time in decades, no smoke rose out of coal plants in the Peloponnese peninsula. The last two units had 500 MW together. Megalopolis is one of the two coal regions in Greece, along with Western Macedonia in the country’s north.

According to Public Power Corporation (PPC or DEI) the units Megalopolis-3 and Megalopolis-4 have now been permanently retired. Under the government-controlled utility’s plan to phase out coal completely next year, all such power plants stopped operating by now, with the exception of Ptolemaida 5, of 660 MW, which entered into operation last year. To maintain the security of supply, two units are kept in reserve, also in Western Macedonia in northern Greece.

PPC has produced a study for the reconstruction of the Megalopolis thermal power station, intending to accommodate other activities. Similar works are already underway in the local lignite mine.

New energy investments underway

The group’s investment plan involves various renewable energy and storage projects in Megalopolis to support the area’s energy transition. It is building two photovoltaic farms of 125 MW each, as part of a 490 MW cluster in the area.

The plan includes a 181 MW pumped storage hydropower station in the former lignite mine.

Based on the government’s Just Transition Development Program, Megalopolis will also host a battery factory, by Enercells, as well as two data centers, by Eunice and Kiefer, of 5 MW each. The investments have been approved by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, to seek funding from the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

PPC expressed the belief that data centers are important for coal regions. Earlier this year, the group’s CEO George Stassis said they are ideal for such investments as the land and grid connections are already available. PPC is planning a 300 MW data center in Western Macedonia, but it hasn’t announced anything similar for Megalopolis yet.

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August 6, 2025

by AEA in News

Bulgaria on track to add 1.5 GW of solar power by mid-2026

The pace of large photovoltaic projects in Bulgaria indicates that total capacity can reach 6 GW by the middle of next year. The expansion isn’t slowing down.

Investors in large solar power plants in Bulgaria don’t seem intimidated by zero and negative wholesale electricity prices eating away at their revenues. One of the factors is a surge in the construction of battery energy storage systems (BESS), which iron out the gap between intraday peak production and the power demand curve. In a new analysis, Capital.bg estimated that the country’s photovoltaic capacity is set to increase by 1.5 GW by the end of the first half of next year, only accounting for big projects.

The total would reach 6 GW. The report lists 14 projects, of which some are benefitting from BESS grants from one of Bulgaria’s past tenders.

Chinese group building largest current PV project

The biggest solar park under construction is Simeonovgrad-Polyanovo, consisting of two units of 250 MW in total. It is located in the Haskovo region in the southern part of the country.

United Energy Group bought the two projects last year. It it the first significant Chinese investment in Bulgaria, the article reads. The PV plant is expected to be put into operation early next year.

The construction of the first phase of the Tenevo hybrid power plant began almost two years ago

Next on the list is Tenevo. Almost two years ago, Eurowind Energy and Renalfa IPP marked the start of the construction of the solar segment of a hybrid power plant near Yambol. The PV park is envisaged with 237.6 MW in peak capacity and a 213.7 MW grid connection.

The largest solar power plant in Bulgaria is called Apriltsi.

St. George coming online before year-end

Czech company Rezolv Energy bought the St. George project for 229 MW two years ago and broke ground at the construction site last autumn. According to the latest data, the investment is worth almost BGN 1 billion (EUR 511 million) and it is coming online by the end of the year. The developer secured a 199 MW connection.

Greek government-controlled utility Public Power Corp. (PPC) is commissionning its Colosseum (Kolizeum) facility of 165 MW in the coming months, the update reveals. The project in Chirpan has an approved network connection of 120 MW. The company is planning to add batteries of 25 MW in capability and a capacity of 55 MWh.

The company is also building an 88 MW in Vedrare near Plovdiv. The contractor for the facility in the municipality of Karlovo is Chint Green Energy of the Chint Group. The power plant is on track to become operational early next year.

A 123 MW system will be on 400 hectares between the villages of Knizhovnik and Dolno Vojvodino in Haskovo. Austria-based Enery said it would install a BESS of 180 MWh next to its solar park.

Electrohold is testing its Maglizh PV plant, the article adds. The project for 100 MW occupies 127 hectares and the estimated investment is almost EUR 90 million. The plan was changed along the way.

Top Energy Solutions has a construction permit for its Loznitsa project in northeastern Bulgaria. The project is for a peak capacity of 115 MW and a grid connection of 99.99 MW, spanning 82.4 hectares. It is located at the villages of Vesselina and Kamenar in the Loznitsa municipality, Razgrad district.

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July 31, 2025

by AEA in News

With 152 MW of wind power installed in H1 2025, Greece continues low trajectory

Just 152.2 MW of wind farms were installed in Greece in the first half of 2025, thus continuing the low trajectory of recent years.

According to the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (HWEA or ELETAEN), total wind capacity in the country reached 5,507 MW at the end of June. In the first six months of the year, 37 new wind turbines were installed in Greece, with a capacity of 152.2 MW, representing a total investment of EUR 180 million.

New capacity doubled compared to the same period of 2024, but is not enough to support a more balanced renewable mix, HWEA said. In comparison, photovoltaics consistently add similar capacity in just one month on average.

The association also mentioned that currently there is 1 GW of wind projects under construction, or contracted. The majority are expected to launch operations within the next 18 months. There is another 300 MW selected through auctions for which letters of guarantee were submitted, and it is expected to reach completion. As a result, total capacity is projected to reach 6.5 GW within the period.

HWEA: Red tape is delaying 846 MW of wind projects

HWEA stressed that due to red tape, the construction of over half of the wind power capacity awarded at renewable energy auctions in the period 2018-2022 has been delayed. Namely, 1.592 MW was selected, but just 746 MW is operational today.

“If they had been completed on time, these wind projects, with a total capacity of 846 MW, would have provided more cheap energy and permanent relief to Greek consumers and the national economy,” HWEA pointed out.

Terna Energy and Vestas lead the pack

When it comes to wind energy’s geographical dispersion, Central Greece (Sterea Ellada) leads with 2.427 MW, followed by 709 MW in the Peloponnese and 535 MW in Eastern Thrace.

The top 5 market players are Terna Energy (1,034 MW – 18.8%), owned by Masdar, Motor Oil Hellas’s subsidiary MORE (774 MW – 14.1%), Iberdrola Rokas (409 MW – 7.4%), Principia (368 MW – 6.7%) and PPC Renewables (308 MW – 5.6%), which operates within state-controlled Public Power Corp. or PPC).

The most prominent wind turbine suppliers are Vestas, with 45.1% of the market, followed by Enercon, with 25.7%, and Siemens Gamesa, with 16.4%. They are trailed by Nordex, with 7.6%, GE Renewable Energy (now GE Vernova), with 3.7%, and EWT, Goldwind and Leitwind.

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July 7, 2025

by AEA in News

Foreign renewable energy investors remain committed to Romania as large plants coming online

Renewable energy companies from abroad aren’t intimidated by negative power prices in Romania, especially with the battery storage segment accelerating. Energy giants EDP Renewables and Engie have new solar power plants, and more renewable energy facilities are coming online, while the government is disbursing European grants.

The renewable energy market in Greece is consolidating and a number of foreign investors are leaving, but some other countries in the region that Balkan Green Energy News tracks remain attractive, especially Romania and Turkey. Big names from abroad keep coming, and the established ones are commissioning facilities and committing to more projects.

Like elsewhere in Europe and beyond, the increasing occurrence of low, zero and negative power prices are impacting the sentiment in Romania. But funding from the European Union, the government’s administrative support, renewable energy auctions and bets on battery storage seemingly outweigh the current risks.

EDPR’s new photovoltaic park Albina will generate 67 GWh per year

EDP Renewables (EDPR), subsidiary of Portuguese energy giant EDP, recently inaugurated its Albina photovoltaic plant. Located in western Romania, just outside of the city of Timisoara, the renewable energy unit came online late last year.

Albina has 60 MW in peak capacity and a 48.8 MW grid connection. The company expects it to generate 67 GWh per year. EDP said that with the new plant it reinforces its commitment to Romania. It operates wind and solar power plants in the country of over 570 MW in combined capacity.

Engie praises renewable energy potential in Romania

Engie Romania commissioned the sixth photovoltaic park in its portfolio. It is located in the commune of Ariceștii Rahtivani in Prahova county. Together with the new facility, of 37.2 MW in peak capacity, French Engie’s branch in Romania now has 248 MW in renewable energy in operation.

The site covers 57 hectares. Estimated annual output is 57 GWh. The firm owns three wind farms of 178 MW in total while its six PV systems have 70.3 MW in overall peak capacity. Last year it built one of the first hybrid power plants in the country.

Engie Romania said the new plant strengthened its position and praised the country’s “significant potential” in the renewable energy segment. The firm targets 1 GW in the country by 2030. It also distributes natural gas and supplies both gas and electricity, and offers energy services.

Rezolv building one of largest wind power plants in Europe

The Vifor wind farm in Buzău county, northeast of Bucharest, is almost half done. Rezolv Energy plans to finish it in 2027. The first phase is for 192 MW, with a planned expansion to a colossal 461 MW.

The company purchased Vestas turbines for the wind park, which is set to become the largest in Europe and the second-largest in Romania. The developer won a fixed electricity price for 15 years in the form of a contract for difference at the country’s renewable energy auction. The wind power plant will also benefit from a power purchase agreement (PPA).

Wind farm of 99.2 MW Galaţi in to launch operations next year

OX2 is building the Green Breeze wind farm, delivering the project as a turnkey construction project for the investor, Nala Renewables. The project involves 16 Vestas V162-6.2 MW turbines, or 99.2 MW altogether. Annual production at the future wind power plant in Galaţi in the eastern part of the country is 312 GWh, according to the estimate.

The facility is on schedule for the start of operations in the first half of next year. Together with Green Breeze, OX2 is working on 620 MW in five wind power projects. The Swedish company has said it intends to grow and diversify in the country.

Enery from Austria lining up renewable electricity plants in Romania

Romania-based Enevo announced that it started building a solar park of 54.2 MW in peak capacity for Enery Development.

Also in Dâmbovița county, Enery Element, the joint venture of the Austrian company with Element Power Group, has a project for a battery-backed PV park.

Total investment is some EUR 27.5 million, of which EUR 2.4 million is from the EU’s Modernisation Fund. The solar power component is 74 MW and the battery energy storage system (BESS) would provide 10.2 MWh in capacity. The location, formally run by project firm Gura Solar Plant, is in the Gura Ocniței commune.

Ecoener, headquartered in Spain, is developing an agrivoltaic project of 11 MW

A Spanish group with an annual turnover of almost EUR 100 million wants to build the first agrisolar park in Iași county, in the commune of Țibănești. Solar panels of 11 MW in total peak capacity would be placed 1.5 meters above ground. The investor, Ecoener, established a Romanian subsidiary for the endeavor: Ecoener Țibănești.

Greece’s PPC turning its wind, PV facilities into hybrid power plants with battery storage

Greek state-controlled Public Power Corp. (PPC) is developing a BESS investment through its firm Sun Challenge, which operates the Lumina solar power project in Călugăreni, Giurgiu county. The PV facility of 63 MW in peak capacity has been online for two years now. Lumina is PPC Renewables’ largest solar power unit in Romania.

It is one in a string of the Greek company’s energy storage projects. PPC plans BESS at its wind farms Topolog (27 MWh), Corugea (80 MWh) and Sălbatica (60 MWh) in Tulcea county. It slated another 120 MWh in total storage capacity at wind power plants Nicolae Bălcescu and Târgușor in Constanța county.

PPC operates wind, photovoltaic and hydropower capacity in Romania of 1.3 GW overall

The Fântânele-Cogealac-Gradina wind farm, which PPC took over from Macquarie Asset Management, already includes a BESS facility. The 600 MW facility is the largest in Romania of its kind.

In Prahova, PPC Renewables Romania plans a 10 MWh storage system at the Berceni 1 photovoltaic park, with an installed capacity of 9.8 MW. Another storage system, of 8 MWh, would be integrated with the Colibași photovoltaic park (7 MW) in Giurgiu county.

PPC operates wind, photovoltaic and hydropower capacity in Romania of 1.3 GW overall.

Turkey-based YEO Technologies, Danish company Eurowind Energy and Solarpro, a contractor from neighboring Bulgaria, all have new investment updates, too.

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May 14, 2025

by AEA in News

Construction starting in second phase of giant PV plant in Peloponnese coal land

Terna won the contract for the construction of the second of the three parts of a 490 MW solar park in Megalopolis, on former lignite mines. Public Power Corp. – PPC Group said the third phase would begin next year.

The second phase of the construction of a 490 MW photovoltaic plant in Megalopolis is beginning, transforming former lignite sites in the Peloponnese peninsula into a green energy hub. PPC Group’s subsidiary PPC Renewables signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for 125 MW on 49.4 hectares with Terna, part of the GEK Terna conglomerate.

The first phase, 125 MW, is under construction. PPC intends to complete it by the end of the year. It expects to begin building the third phase, 240 MW, in 2026.

Bifacial panels to be on fixed structures

The second part entails 215,000 bifacial solar panels on fixed structures. The facility would be connected to the Megalopoli Ultra High Voltage Substation via a new high voltage substation at the Neo Choremi site.

The entire 490 MW would generate an estimate 860 GWh per year, the announcement reads. It is equivalent to the electricity needs of 215,000 households. The projected output would prevent carbon dioxide emissions of 430,000 tons per year.

PPC already has a 50 MW photovoltaic plant in Megalopolis, the smaller of the two coal regions in Greece.

Replicating solar makeover from Western Macedonia

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PPC Group and CEO of PPC Renewables Konstantinos Mavros compared the project in the Peloponnese to the ones in coal land in Western Macedonia in the country’s north. Just like in Ptolemaida, the Megalopoli photovoltaic plant is going to replace the the production of electricity from coal and ensure the historic continuity of the area’s role in energy supply, he pointed out.

The utility’s three-year strategic plan for the period through 2027 is to install 5.6 GW more from renewables in Greece and Southeastern Europe, reaching 11.8 GW in the segment. PPC said it is also looking to expand its portfolio with new technologies such as offshore wind power and floating photovoltaics, also known as floatovoltaics.

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April 25, 2025

by AEA in News

MORE puts 43.2 MW wind park in northern Greece into regular operation

Motor Oil Renewable Energy (MORE) received the operating license for its 43.2 MW wind power plant near the border with North Macedonia. The facility was in test operation since the fourth quarter of 2023.

MORE has 839 MW in renewable electricity plants in operation, aiming to reach 2 GW by 2030. There is already almost 3 GW in the project pipeline. The subsidiary of oil refiner Motor Oil Hellas recently received the operating license for its Kellas (Kella) wind park in Amyntaio in the Western Macedonia region.

The facility was in test operation since the fourth quarter of 2023. It has 43.2 MW in nominal capacity, while the maximum is 40 MW. The wind power plant, consisting of nine Nordex N-149 turbines, is near the border with North Macedonia.

The parent company financed the endeavor by buying a EUR 41.3 million bond that a project firm issued. In 2023 it refinanced it with EUR 47 million. MORE said that it recently also completed a wind farm in Phocis (Fokida). The combined capacity with the one in Amyntaio is 65 MW.

Partnership with Terna Energy for Greece’s first offshore wind park

The renewable energy company is planning floating and conventional wind farms as well. Its joint venture with Masdar’s Terna Energy, called Aioliki Provata Traianoupoleos, is developing a 400 MW project for a site on the Ionian Sea between Alexandroupolis and the island of Samothrace. It would be Greece’s first offshore wind power plant.

MORE’s solar power joint venture with PPC Renewables, the green energy branch of government-controlled Public Power Corp., has received final connection offers earlier this month for 882.4 MW. Six locations, for 742.4 MW altogether, are in the Kozani region, a 92 MW project is in Kilkis and another one, of 48 MW, is in Serres, all in northern Greece.

The idea is to sell the electricity to the Greek industry through bilateral power purchase agreements (PPAs), as well as to support farmers participating in the GAIA program, with a special tariff.

The two renewable energy companies already have final connection offers for 300 MW and they expect another 311 MW soon. Separately, PPC and Motor Oil are planning a 50 MW hydrogen production facility, as Hellenic Hydrogen.

MORE invested over EUR 1.6 billion in past two years

MORE said it invested over EUR 1.6 billion in the past two years. It entered a partnership in 2024 in Romania with Premier Energy for solar power plants with storage. MORE’s battery projects are underway in Greece, too.

GEK Terna and Motor Oil have built an 877 MW gas power plant in Komotini, in the region of East Macedonia and Thrace. The facility is about to enter regular operation, Energypress reported.

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