Simtel to deliver 196 MWh battery project for Turkish-backed Energy Capital Group in Romania

Romanian engineering group Simtel has signed a contract to design and build a 196.4 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for Energy Capital Group. The agreement, worth RON168.9 million (US$39.1 million) excluding VAT, is structured as an EPC contract and will see Simtel deliver the system within nine months.

The facility will be built in Iaz, Obreja commune, in Romania’s Caras-Severin County, Energy Capital Group, is owned by MOGAN Bucharest SRL, part of the GÜRİŞ Group from Turkey.

It will include up to 98.6 MW of installed power and a two-hour discharge duration. Once complete, it will become one of the country’s largest energy storage systems to date. Simtel only entered the battery storage sector in 2024, but sees the technology as critical to managing imbalances in energy supply and demand.

Mihai Tudor, CEO of Simtel, said:“The signing of this contract marks an important milestone for Simtel and for the strategic direction of our company. We are pleased to contribute to the implementation of a project of such magnitude, which demonstrates our partners’ trust in Simtel’s ability to deliver complex solutions at high standards of quality and efficiency.”

“We will continue to develop this line of business with the aim of responding as effectively as possible to our clients’ needs and supporting the evolution of the local renewable energy market in a sustainable and responsible manner,” continued Tudor.

Romania currently has almost 400 MWh of total operational battery storage capacity, according to data from the transmission system operator Transelectrica, and a figured mentioned by Romania’s energy minister Sebastian Burduja in April, 2025.

The investment by Energy Capital Group is partially backed by a grant exceeding RON50 million, provided under Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The country is targeting an initial 2.5 GWh of BESS deployment under the EU-funded green transition initiative.

The project also arrives as regulatory conditions improve in the country. As of 8 July 2025, Romania has removed several grid-related charges previously applied to stored electricity that is discharged back to the grid. Under new methodological norms published by the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), stored energy is exempt from transmission tariffs, distribution charges, and green certificates, aimed at eliminating the double taxation, in a big to drive new investment.