Lithuania Launches Tender For 1.7GW/4GWh Energy Storage

 

Lithuania launches tender for 1.7GW/4GWh energy storage, offering €840 million in subsidies covering 30% of costs, with a threshold of 30MWh.

 

On Tuesday, August 26th, the Lithuanian Ministry of Energy announced the completion of its major energy storage procurement, planning to deploy 1.7GW/4GWh of energy storage capacity to ensure power system flexibility and reliability. Acting Energy Minister Vaichiunas emphasized that installing over 4,000MWh of storage is a key step in strengthening the country's energy system and promoting the development of renewable energy. This capacity will enhance system resilience, flexibility, and security, and contribute to electricity price stability. High commercial interest demonstrates investor support for the project, making state subsidies a key driver of progress in promoting a modern and reliable power system.

 

The Director-General of the Energy Agency signed an order earlier this week approving the project's financing. The initial call in February received over 50 applications totaling €197 million (US$214 million), nearly doubling the original budget. Consequently, the Ministry of Energy allocated an additional €37.33 million in July, adding to the originally earmarked €102 million to support at least 800MWh of capacity, directly connected to the transmission network and completed by 2028. The procurement volume has been confirmed to be 1.7 GW/4 GWh, with a total value exceeding €840 million. State subsidies will cover an average of 14.7% of total investment, focusing on electricity storage facilities between 30 MWh and 300 MWh to provide balancing services. The subsidy is capped at 30% of eligible costs, with a maximum of €150,000 per MWh. Eligible beneficiaries include legal entities, but exclude financial and credit institutions.

 

The Ministry of Energy has confirmed the upcoming announcement of a supplementary procurement round, a significant expansion of the first large-scale grid connection project in 2020 (a 200 MWh system operated by Energy Cells and delivered by Siemens Energy and Fluence).