Plans announced for 245 MWh of battery storage projects in Croatia, Serbia

Croatia’s Ministry of the Economy has allocated €19.8 million of European Union grant funding for the 50 MW second stage of a 60 MW/120 MWh BESS in Šibenik.

Croatia’s economic ministry on Wednesday said an initial 10 MW phase of the Šibenik BESS is at an an advanced stage and the €60 million site will be fully operational next year. The BESS will be installed at the rolling mill site used by Slovenian aluminum products company Impol-TLM.

The statement added the BESS would especially help areas like Dalmatia and would pave the way for the provision of virtual inertia. Inertia is traditionally performed by spinning masses in conventional power stations and offers grid operators vital time to bring alternative power sources online in the event of blackouts. Batteries with grid-forming inverters can offer a virtual version of the grid service.

The money for the Croatian BESS comes from the European Union’s Modernization Fund, which backs development in 13 of the bloc’s low-income member states.

Luka Balen, director of Croatia’s Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency, said his organization was also responsible for allocating EU Modernization Fund cash and mentioned a €20.5 million budget opened yesterday to help homeowners install domestic power equipment. He added, a further, €7.5 million pot will be announced by Wednesday and will be available to people who installed such systems in 2024.

The Croatian battery news came in the wake of plans for a standalone utility-scale battery storage system in Serbia. The office of the Mayor of Leskovac revealed plans for a 125 MWh containerized BESS in the Serbian city.

The mayor’s office said Turkish company GridFlex would install the system on a 1.5 ha site which would have to be complete next year, for commissioning in “early 2027.”