Energy storage is one of the key elements enabling the integration of renewable energy sources and increasing the flexibility of the power system. Storage systems will be used to manage surpluses of energy from renewable sources and stabilise energy price volatility.
The first large-scale battery energy storage facility in the PGE Group will be the Żarnowiec Energy Storage Facility. It will be located in the Pomeranian Province, near PGE’s future offshore wind farms and Poland’s largest pumped-storage power plant in Żarnowiec, owned by PGE Energia Odnawialna, which is also responsible for supervising the implementation of this storage facility. The project has received Poland’s first commitment for electricity storage and has a connection agreement to the national power system. The Żarnowiec Energy Storage Facility also has a 17-year contract in the capacity market auction, valid from 2029. As part of the project financing, the PGE Group has already submitted an application for funds from the National Reconstruction Plan.
The energy storage facility in Żarnowiec will be one of the largest installations of its kind in Europe and will become a symbol of our country’s modern energy transformation. It is an investment that will strengthen Poland’s energy security, reducing energy costs for Polish families and domestic businesses and ensuring the stability of electricity supplies regardless of weather conditions. In combination with dynamically developing energy investments in Pomerania, such as Poland’s first nuclear power plant and offshore wind farms, energy storage facilities will become the foundation of a stable and environmentally friendly energy system. A system which, most importantly, will help Poland become independent of foreign supplies of raw materials and electricity – Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy.
Increasing the efficiency of renewable energy sources is one of the government’s priorities. We are investing in the expansion of energy storage networks at every level – from large-scale ones, such as the Żarnowiec Energy Storage Facility, to household prosumer ones, which stabilise the grid and increase the efficiency of home installations. Our goal is for 200,000 Polish homes to have their own energy storage facility by the end of the term of office. Thanks to these installations, the Żarnowiec storage facility and other large-scale installations, we will be able to receive energy at peak times, increasing the efficiency of renewable sources in the system. This will provide households and businesses with sustainable and secure access to cheap energy – Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment.
We are starting the construction of the largest energy storage project in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. As early as 2027, a large-scale battery storage facility with a capacity of approximately 981 MWh and a value of PLN 1.5 billion will be launched in Żarnowiec. This is the first investment of its kind in our Group, responding to changes in the national energy sector and the growing share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix. In this way, we are ushering Poland into a new era of energy – modern, safe and flexible. This project also makes a real contribution to the development of the Polish economy – the batteries for the storage facility will be manufactured in Poland, at the LG Energy Solution Wrocław factory in Biskupice Podgórne near Wrocław. It is the largest employer in Lower Silesia, employing approximately 7,000 people, and a global leader in the production of batteries for electric cars. The location of production in Poland significantly strengthens national technological competences, creates new jobs and supports the development of modern industry. We are particularly pleased that it was our investment that catalysed LG’s decision to expand its operations in Poland to include the energy storage segment. The project in Żarnowiec will be the first for which LG will manufacture batteries in our country. This makes the investment not only a breakthrough for the energy sector, but also symbolic for the development of modern industry in Poland – Dariusz Marzec, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna.
The energy storage facility being built in Żarnowiec is a concrete response to the challenges facing the European and Polish economies. It should be emphasised that this project is based entirely on the principle of local content – and we are proud of that. The batteries for the storage facility are manufactured in Poland, at our LG Energy Solution Wrocław factory in Biskupice Podgórne. All companies involved in the construction of the infrastructure and energy connections are Polish contractors. The entire value chain of the project is created with the participation of domestic resources and expertise. I would like to point out that thanks to this project and our battery production plant near Wrocław, we are fully prepared to support Poland in achieving its renewable energy target by 2030 – Jangha Lee, President of LG Energy Solution Wrocław.
The PGE Group is consistently developing its energy storage segment. It is already the national leader in this area, with a nearly 90% share in pumped-storage power plants. In accordance with the assumptions of the Strategy, by 2035 the PGE Group plans to expand its storage portfolio to a total capacity of over 18 GWh. To this end, the PGE Group will invest in battery energy storage facilities (with a capacity of 8 GWh), pumped-storage power plants (with a capacity of 10 GWh) and heat storage facilities (capable of storing approx. 0.5 GWh). Over the next 10 years, it will allocate PLN 14 billion to the development of this segment.
Source: PGE
