Energy giant DTEK invests in Poland with plans for large battery storage facility near Krakow
Rinat Akhmetov's DTEK Energy Holding through its subsidiary DTEK Renewables International (DRI) concluded an agreement with the Polish company Columbus Energy on the construction of a 133 MW energy storage system in southern Poland near Krakow, reported the website of DTEK.
"DRI signed a final binding share purchase agreement with Poland’s Columbus Energy on March 27 which will give it the right to build a 133 MW battery storage facility in southern Poland, subject to permitting approvals," the company said.
PAP writes that the value of the deal is approximately 30 million euros. The final amount of the agreement will depend on the fulfillment of various conditions prescribed in the agreement.
"We have decided to sell one of our energy storage projects to a partner from the DTEK group. We will use the proceeds from this operation to reduce our obligations to the investor DC24. Columbus Group owns and develops many projects that we want to build. The most advanced energy storage projects have the capacity 202 MW and 63 MW respectively. At this stage we have no plans to sell them, but we are open to cooperation and potential business opportunities," said David Zelinski, president of Columbus Energy SA
According to DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko, this is a test project for Central and Eastern Europe that will demonstrate how electricity storage systems can be implemented.
DRI plans to finalize the agreement with Columbus Energy in the coming months and begin construction on the site in the fourth quarter of 2024, with construction to be completed and the facility operational in early 2026.
DTEK Group already has experience with energy storage technology thanks to the project in Enerhodar, which was implemented in 2021.
In 2023, a license for energy storage was issued for the first time in Ukraine. It was received by the Vinnytsia-based group of companies Kness, which is the owner of an industrial energy storage facility with a capacity of 1 MW.
