November 8, 2025
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Sunotec, Shell join forces to develop BESS in Europe

Sofia-based Sunotec signed an agreement with oil and gas major Shell on the development of battery energy storage systems in Central Eastern Europe.

Sunotec is developing projects for large solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Europe while Shell is one of the leading oil and gas companies in the world.

Sunotec said it signed a cross-border agreement with Shell Energy Europe B.V. It marks a milestone in advancing innovative financial mechanisms for the development of battery energy storage systems in Central Eastern Europe, the Bulgaria-based company added.

The five-year agreement is linked to a 600 MW BESS project owned by Sunotec. The battery is under development and expected to enter commercial operation by Q2 2026, the update reads.

The deal helps Shell to diversify its wider power portfolio in the region

“The agreement provides long-term price stability for the project, supporting its financial viability. For Shell, the deal helps to diversify its wider power portfolio in the region. The agreement was facilitated by Enery Portfolio Optimisation,” Sunotec said.

The transaction is among the first of its kind in Central Eastern Europe and it helps to establish battery project development in the region, according to the renewables developer.

Kaloyan Velichkov, Sunotec founder and CEO, stressed that agreements like the one with Shell highlight the company’s commitment to working with leading energy players who share its vision for a sustainable and forward-looking energy future.

Velichkov: The agreement demonstrates the power of collaboration in advancing flexibility and renewable-energy driven independence

“This pioneering agreement demonstrates the power of collaboration in advancing flexibility and renewable-energy driven independence. By uniting technical expertise with financial ingenuity, we are helping to build a more resilient and integrated energy system,” he underlined.

The transaction demonstrates how cross-border cooperation and forward-looking financial mechanisms can enhance regional energy market integration and facilitate the deployment of large-scale renewable energy assets, in Kaloyan’s view.

Of note, Sunotec has been very active in the market over the last few months.

In October, the firm secured financing for a portfolio of seven projects in Bulgaria.

Three months prior, it signed an agreement with Sungrow on installing 2.4 GWh of BESS in Europe.

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August 15, 2025
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Floating solar farm ready to be merged with North Sea offshore wind park

Dutch company Oceans of Energy has assembled its new floating photovoltaic plant in the Port of Amsterdam in just three days. The modular facility is about to be towed and integrated with the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm on the North Sea, creating a hybrid power plant.

The Nymphaea Aurora floating solar power platform comprises 1,400 photovoltaic panels on 196 floaters. It features reused metals at 70%, while the share of reused polymers is 80%. The name is inspired by a water lily and how it gently floats, while aurora is the Latin word for dawn.

SolarPower Europe promoted the project after the modular platform was assembled in the Port of Amsterdam in just three days. It is about to be towed to a spot 22 kilometers offshore IJmuiden on the North Sea. There it would be installed within the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm.

Using just 3% to 5% of the space between turbines for solar panels can boost energy output by over 20%, all while using the existing energy system infrastructure, the update adds.

Next step after Nymphaea Aurora is scaling up so units reach 10 MW, 100 MW, 1 GW

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oceans of Energy Allard van Hoeken claimed Nymphaea Aurora is the world’s first offshore solar farm to be installed within an operational offshore wind park.

However, China’s State Power Investment Corp. (SPIC) commissioned one such facility in 2022. It used Ocean Sun’s technology for the two solar power units offshore Haiyang, a city in Shandong province in eastern China. It connected them with an offshore wind turbine. Several other hybrid offshore wind and floating PV projects have been initiated over the last few years.

Van Hoeken: Everything you do at sea is very scalable

Combining the two renewable energy technologies brings variation into the generation profile, Van Hoeken noted.

“There is more solar energy in the summer and more wind energy in the winter. The next step is scaling up the farms from 1 MW to 10 MW, to 100 MW and to 1,000 MW. This is the size that offshore solar offers to the world, because everything you do at sea is very scalable,” the CEO stressed.

Hollandse Kust Noord is operated by CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. The 759 MW facility consists of 69 wind turbines, while Nymphaea Aurora brings only 0.5 MW. It takes up one hectare and it will be moored at a location with water depth of 25 meters.

Oceans of Energy deployed three standalone offshore PV units so far

In 2019, Oceans of Energy installed the world’s first floating solar power plant at sea, North Sea 1. Initially located one kilometer from the shore, it had 8.5 kW in capacity. It was expanded to 50 kW the following year and moved to a spot 15 kilometers away, near The Hague. It is an area with high waves, of up to 13 meters.

The firm earlier said it would expand its other pilot facility, North Sea 2, to 1 MW. It is 12 kilometers from the shore. North Sea 3 was deployed last year for testing off the Belgian coast.

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August 31, 2017
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Why Albania is THAT important to the Balkans

A couple of weeks ago, Director of IN-VR, Chryssa Tsouraki published an article on Albania’s importance to the Balkans region that went viral: “Albania is far too important for Europe’s energy security to be ignored or even underestimated. Some quick facts about Albania to familiarise yourselves:

–  Patos Marinza: The largest oil field in Europe, operated by Bankers Petroleum, Official Sponsor of Balkans Petroleum.

– Delvina Gas Field: a proven gas condensate field. It lies on one of the largest gas structures in southeastern Europe

– TAP:Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will start bringing natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe in 2020. Albania has recently formed Albagaz to handle the transmission and distribution of TAP natural gas in the country and its neighbours. IAP is another fascinating Gas project to watch out for.

– Shell’s already invested: in Shpirag-2 and 3, with some very encouraging results.

If you are wondering how you could get involved in Albania, other than obtaining an exploration license, here are some great opportunities still available to a wide range of service providers:

  • Offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration and production equipment and services
  • Gas pipeline and Gas station equipment
  • Oil pipeline equipment (transportation from oil fields to oil terminals and refineries)
  • Oil storage equipment and underground gas storage equipment
  • Oil and gas terminal products

Besides its prolific proven oil and gas resources, Albania is a great place to do business in. Led by the wonderful Dorina Cinari, EITI is monitoring all energy activities and makes a great partner to the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MEI).
The MEI has shown incredible stability and progress and has received increased interest from IOCs since we first met in 2012.
Dritan Spahiu, former Director at the MEI, currently on a new powerful role within the state-owned Albpetrol, has been a cornerstone in these efforts.
The entire MEI cabinet and the AKBN have been working really hard to attract foreign investors by continuous education, favourable licensing terms and excellent staff for the IOCs to work with.

I personally view Albania is one of the most promising (yet very under-explored) regions in terms of oil and gas exploration and production, and I’m sure we haven’t seen its full potential yet. There is just so-much-more we should expect from Albania.

Have you visited the MEI or its subsidiaries yet? You will be overwhelmed by the kindness of its people, making them one of the most professional and active Ministries I’ve had the pleasure to work closely with.

Balkans Petroleum and IN-VR Oil & Gas are proud partners of the Albania Energy Association.

So yes, Albania is THAT important to Balkans Petroleum, and we are looking forward to hearing more about potential changes (if any) in the MEI and welcome them at Balkans Petroleum!

Even if there will be post-election changes in the MEI and its affiliates or not, one thing is certain; Albania is open for business.”

If you would like to meet with Bankers Petroleum, the Ministry of Energy and Industry, AKBN, Albpetrol, Abkons, Shell and many more important Albanian leading organisations, secure your place at the Balkans Petroleum summit, taking place 3-4 October at Royal Olympic Athens.

July 24, 2015
by in News

Shell bids to drill two Albanian onshore blocks

shell albaniaA venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Canada’s Petromanas has applied to drill two onshore blocks in central Albania close to another promising well they are drilling further south, an official said on Thursday.

The official said three bids had been submitted for the blocks – from Shell Upstream Albania B.V with Petromanas Albania GmbH, Israel’s Delek Group Limited and Interland Investments SA.

The National Resources Agency has forwarded the bids to the Energy Ministry, which will pick a winner and instruct the agency to start negotiations.

Shell’s bid signals renewed interest in Albania, a NATO nation seeking to join the European Union, after many oil majors failed to strike oil there in the decade after it toppled communism in 1990.

The Shell-Petromanas venture in Albania is now drilling two wells to size up the output potential after very promising initial results at their Shpirag well, half a mile from the spot where Occidental found very little oil in 2001 and quit.