Enefit Group's first high-capacity battery station begins operations

Energy company Enefit has taken a significant step towards ensuring the stability of the Baltic energy grid after disconnecting from BRELL: the energy storage facility of its parent company Eesti Energia, the first large-scale battery station, has begun operations at the Auveres industrial complex in Estonia. This solution will help maintain the stability of the electricity system after desynchronization and reduce price fluctuations that can be caused by interruptions in renewable energy production.

The more renewable energy is produced, the greater the need for energy storage systems to maintain stable electricity prices. The need for energy storage solutions is further increased by the desynchronization of the Baltic electricity system from the Russian grid and the transition of all Baltic transmission system operators to 15-minute pricing intervals in the electricity market.

Shortly after completion of installation, the Auveres battery station was qualified for the frequency containment reserve (FCR) and automatic frequency restoration reserve (aFRR) capacity markets. On February 5, it participated in an FCR auction for the first time and won the entire 23 megawatt hour market at EUR 141.3/MWh.

"Battery projects are of strategic importance to the state, so it is important that they are implemented not only by energy companies, but also by companies in other sectors and private individuals. By increasing the number of batteries, we can ensure that they are distributed rather than concentrated in one place. Such decentralized battery deployment plays a key role in ensuring energy security and stability, as well as in balancing the grid. With the disconnection from BRELL, a Baltic balancing market will be introduced, which will also enable households and businesses to recoup their investments in batteries more quickly by participating in maintaining the balance of the electricity grid. There is already significant interest among companies in installing batteries, and this trend is expected to become even more pronounced in the future," explains Mārtiņš Vancāns, Chairman of the Board of the energy company Enefit.

Batteries allow for a very quick response to changes in the energy system, which is why they are particularly useful for maintaining system stability after the desynchronization of the Baltic power grid. The battery installed at the Auveres industrial complex, with a capacity of 26.5 megawatts and 53.1 megawatt hours, allows participation in the electricity exchange. The system is designed to serve for 20 years, ensuring reliability, high cycle efficiency and minimal performance degradation even during prolonged use.

As Mārtiņš Vancāns points out, there is also a high level of interest in battery systems in Latvia: "Prices per kilowatt hour installed have fallen significantly, and the payback period for the systems is quite short, often less than five years. In addition, the owner of the equipment can reap several benefits at once – protect themselves against power outages, increase the self-consumption of energy produced by the solar park, and earn money by participating in the electricity balancing market. Currently, the first Enefit projects for legal entities are still in the initial phase, and after successful testing, they are scheduled to be put into operation this fall.

The installation and connection of the Auveres battery station equipment was carried out by Enefit Solutions, while the configuration work, equipment testing and system preparation for market testing are being carried out by representatives of LG Energy Solution and Power Electronics. The final tests, during which Eesti Energia's smart management platform will begin to automatically control the operation of the batteries, will be carried out by Eesti Energia engineers in cooperation with Diotech.

The Auveres storage facility will serve as a pilot project for the future construction of similar battery stations in other locations.