**Ukraine’s Largest Battery Energy Storage Project Enters Final Testing Phase**
In a major development, DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, has started the final commissioning of the country’s biggest battery energy storage project. The announcement was made on July 10 at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome.
The significance of this project cannot be overstated. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Ukrainian energy infrastructure has been deliberately targeted, leading to electricity shortages and blackouts. This new battery energy storage system will help stabilize Ukraine’s electricity grid, ensuring a steady power supply and preventing emergency outages.
**A Partnership with Global Significance**
The project was developed in partnership with American energy company Fluence Energy Inc. The 200-megawatt system spans six locations across Ukraine, making it one of Eastern Europe’s most significant energy storage deployments. Each site has a capacity between 20 and 50 megawatts, with almost seven hundred Fluence Gridstack battery units installed collectively.
The project’s capabilities are impressive, with the ability to store 400 megawatt-hours of electricity – enough to power 600,000 Ukrainian homes for two hours. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in October 2025, just before Ukraine’s critical winter heating season.
**A New Era for Ukraine’s Energy System**
Maxim Timchenko, DTEK CEO, emphasized the significance of this project, saying, “We are laying the foundation of a new energy system in Ukraine because bringing an energy storage system of this scale into the Ukrainian power grid means that we are building an absolutely new, much more resilient energy system in the country.”
This partnership between DTEK and Fluence Energy marks the first major energy infrastructure delivery since Ukraine and the United States signed an economic partnership agreement in April.
**A Testimony to Ukraine’s Resilience**
Julian Nebreda, CEO at Fluence, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting Ukraine despite the challenges posed by war. He said, “We’re convinced that Ukraine is going to win the war.”
Fluence conducted its first fully remote project launch due to wartime restrictions, training twenty Ukrainian engineers in Germany and Finland to operate the systems independently. The company will continue providing remote technical support and monitoring to ensure the project runs safely.
**A Partnership That Defies Adversity**
Maxim Timchenko echoed Nebreda’s sentiments, saying, “The project of this scale we are realizing in Ukraine under the new administration of the United States is proof that real partnership shouldn’t wait for the end of war or any other conditions.”
This remarkable collaboration between DTEK and Fluence Energy serves as a testament to Ukraine’s resilience and determination to rebuild its energy infrastructure despite the ongoing conflict.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com
