Grid-scale

Eastern Europe: First hybrid PPA, 2 GWh battery supply deal

The region saw two major announcements in the past week: one concerning what is described as the first hybrid power purchase agreement (PPA) to include green electricity supply from a newly built solar power plant with a battery energy storage system (BESS), and another involving a substantial supply deal between China’s Hithium and Sofia-headquartered Solarpro Holding.

By

Marija Maisch

Sep 29, 2025

With hybrid power purchase agreements (PPAs) still a relatively uncharted territory in Europe, Enery has signed a landmark 15-year deal with Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries – the region’s first to combine solar power from a newly built plant with integrated battery energy storage.

The agreement will pave the way for the construction of a 122 MWp photovoltaic park and in Knizhovnik and Dolno Voyvodino (Haskovo Municipality, southern Bulgaria). The site will also feature two battery storage systems, one with a capacity of 70 MWh and another of 130 MWh, enabling hybrid operation. The Knizhovnik solar park is expected to generate 200 GWh of clean electricity annually.

Structured as a financial virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), the deal will deliver 60,000 MWh of renewable energy to Teva – marking one of the longest agreements of its kind in Bulgaria. It sets a regional precedent for integrating battery storage into VPPA structures, enhancing grid stability and increasing the overall value of renewable energy procurement.

This marks Enery’s 15th PPA signed in the past four years across Central and Eastern Europe, and its second agreement involving a Bulgarian off-taker. The electricity generated will directly support the decarbonization of Teva’s two pharmaceutical plants in Bulgaria.

In a separate development, China’s Hithium has signed a 2 GWh battery energy storage supply agreement with Bulgarian EPC Solarpro Holding. The agreement will support multiple utility-scale energy storage projects across Eastern Europe – including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and North Macedonia.

As part of the deal, Hithium will supply its long-duration DC block solutions – the ∞Power 6.25 MWh BESS using 1175Ah and 587Ah battery cells.

This strategic partnership builds on a strong track record between the two companies, which includes several high-profile collaborations in Bulgaria and Hungary, successfully commissioned in 2024 and 2025.

Notably, Hithium was among the first BESS suppliers active in Bulgaria, having delivered a 25 MW / 55 MWh battery storage facility for Austria’s Renalfa IPP in 2024 – then the largest operating system of its kind in the country.

Written by

Marija Maisch
Marija has years of experience in a news agency environment and writing for print and online publications. She took over as the editor of pv magazine Australia in 2018 and helped establish its online presence over a two-year period.
View author posts

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.

Policy

Global Battery Alliance launches Battery Passport pilots The Global Battery Alliance (GBA) has just launched the second wave of its Battery Passport pilots, which includes 11 pilot consortia. This second wave will establish the Minimum Viable Product of the GBA Battery Passport with a product-level ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) score.

Jun 21, 2024

Opinion & Analysis

Falling li-ion battery prices mirror solar photovoltaics trends: Is there a role for second-life batteries before recycling? Lithium-ion batteries are everywhere, powering everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, residential PV storage systems, and, more recently, mitigating curtailment in large-scale wind and solar power plants. EVs are driving large-scale demand for Li-ion batteries which will result in substantial volumes of spent batteries in the near future. This scenario highlights the potential for repurposing EV batteries for second-life stationary applications, which could maximise their value before recycling. However, to fully realise this opportunity, several economic, technical, and regulatory challenges must be addressed and resolved.

International Solar Energy Society

May 22, 2025

Anthony Albanese and Ed Husic

Manufacturing

Stationary storage key priority in Australia’s new National Battery Strategy The Australian government has announced its new multi-billion-dollar National Battery Strategy aiming to boost the country’s domestic battery manufacturing capabilities and critical minerals processing capacity.

May 24, 2024

Manufacturing

Battery makers bullish about Brazilian market prospects Chinese and Brazilian battery energy storage system (BESS) manufacturers and installers are preparing to invest in a promising market beset by rising energy costs and unreliable grid supply just as battery prices have fallen.

Alessandra Neris

Jun 11, 2025

Opinion & Analysis

How the US can get back in the driver’s seat of its battery future While the United States needs to develop its own lithium-ion battery supply chain, it is just as important for the nation to diversify its supply beyond the dominant technology and into new battery chemistries.

Jan 31, 2025

Manufacturing

IEA: Global battery industry has entered new phase China supplied three-quarters of a 1 TWh global battery market in 2024 and its domination enabled steep cost savings and a possible switch to lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) technology, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Mar 07, 2025

This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy.