Romania has activated a new state aid scheme of 150 million euros to boost the construction of autonomous battery electricity storage facilities , with the aim of putting into service a minimum combined capacity of 2174 MWh .
The aid intensity can reach up to 100% of the total eligible costs . However, the amount requested cannot exceed €69,000 per MWh of installed storage , a variable that will also be decisive in ranking the proposals.
The measure was approved by Order 745 of the Ministry of Energy , published on July 27, 2026, in the Romanian Official Gazette, and will be funded with non-reimbursable resources from the Modernization Fund. The program will remain in effect until December 31, 2030 .
The scheme is expected to benefit around ten companies , although the final selection will depend on the outcome of a competitive bidding process. Each company will be able to submit one or more projects, but will not receive more than €15 million , regardless of the number of initiatives approved.
According to the Order, the program seeks to improve the suitability, flexibility and efficiency of the national electricity system , facilitate the integration of renewable sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Ministry proposes that batteries participate in both the day-ahead and intraday markets, as well as in balancing, ancillary, and congestion management services. It also envisions them absorbing surplus energy during periods of high production and feeding electricity back into the grid during peak demand.
Projects of at least 1 MW and two hours in duration
Only new stand-alone storage facilities connected to transmission or distribution networks will be eligible for funding , regardless of the voltage level at the connection point.
Each project must guarantee a minimum installed capacity of 1 MW and meet a capacity-to-power ratio of at least 2:1 . This means that the battery must operate at its maximum charging or discharging power for a minimum of two hours.
A 10 MW installation, for example, will need to demonstrate at least 20 MWh of capacity to meet the technical requirement. Applying the maximum limit established by the regulations, a project of that size could request up to €1.38 million , provided that the amount does not exceed its eligible costs.
The Order defines these infrastructures as facilities capable of operating “independently/autonomously” , connected directly to power lines and not linked within the same project to a power generation plant.
For this reason, hybrid projects that combine renewable energy production and storage are excluded . Initiatives aimed at replacing older systems are also ineligible, as the program is limited to entirely new assets.
The Ministry also prohibits financing lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, or nickel-metal hydride batteries. Investments will also have to respect the European principle of “not causing significant harm” to the environment.
The lowest amount of aid requested per MWh will receive the maximum score
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The primary economic criterion will be the amount of aid requested per MWh installed . The proposal requesting the lowest unit subsidy will receive 100 points, while the one requesting the highest amount will receive zero. Intermediate offers will be scored linearly.
This design aims to ensure that developers cover a larger proportion of the investment with their own capital or private financing, and that the public subsidy per storage unit is as low as possible.
Following the technical and economic evaluation, the applications will be ranked from highest to lowest score. Subsequently, their administrative compliance and fulfillment of eligibility requirements will be verified until the available €150 million is exhausted.
If the budget is not fully allocated in the first call, the Ministry will organize new competitive tenders for the remaining funds.
Applications and supporting documentation must be submitted through the MySMIS 2021 platform, which is used to manage the resources of the Modernization Fund. The opening date for the call for proposals will be announced on the official website of the Romanian Ministry of Energy.
The program is open to micro-enterprises, small and medium-sized companies, large corporations and newly created companies , established in accordance with Romanian legislation or that of another Member State of the European Union.
Foreign companies must be registered with the Romanian National Business Registry Office before signing the financing agreement. Proposals may only be submitted individually; partnerships or consortia will not be accepted .
Applicants will also need to demonstrate financial capacity. The debt-to-equity ratio must be positive and below 7.5 for the last two financial years .
Storage becomes key in the face of renewable expansion
The Order links the program to Romania's Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, which aims to achieve 1200 MW or 2400 MWh of electrical storage by 2030 , in addition to increasing the power to 2,000 MW by 2035.
The planned expansion of photovoltaic energy reinforces the need to incorporate flexibility into the system. According to the Romanian energy and climate plan, the country expects to exceed 10 GW of cumulative solar capacity by 2030 , making battery storage a key factor in managing variable generation and improving the monetization of renewable projects.
Batteries will allow electricity to be shifted from peak production hours to periods of high demand, reduce waste, participate in balancing markets, and limit grid congestion.
Mordor Intelligence projects that the Romanian renewable energy market will reach 19.24 GW in 2026 and grow to 28.96 GW in 2031 , with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.52% during the 2026-2031 period . The consultancy also anticipates that solar energy will be the fastest-growing technology, with a CAGR of 14.26%.
In this context, the 2174 MWh that the new scheme aims to mobilize would function as backup infrastructure for a matrix with a growing share of solar and wind generation .
The selected facilities will be able to intervene in energy arbitrage, frequency services, balancing markets and congestion management, as well as reduce the use of fossil fuel plants during peak consumption hours.