Romania has taken another bold step in expanding its battery storage fleet with the launch of a €150 million program for municipalities, set to add 385 MW of new battery capacity to the system.

Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan attended a meeting with the Association of Romanian Municipalities (AMR) on Monday, where he discussed the transformation of Romanian cities into energy-smart communities.

To date, the Ministry of Energy has financed 93 municipalities through 754 contracts worth a total of €437 million for the installation of solar panels. According to Ivan, the next step is energy storage, supported by the newly launched €150 million program.

He emphasized that the initiative will enable “energy produced during the day to be stored in batteries and light the streets at night,” allowing “smart systems to operate 24/7, not just when the sun is shining.” It will also help make schools and hospitals energy independent.

“What we do today is not just about wires and transformers. It’s about what a safe, efficient, and future-ready city looks like,” Ivan said. “The Ministry of Energy is here: with funding, with know-how, and with respect for mayors who modernize their communities and reduce energy costs.”

Romania is emerging as a growing energy storage market, with its fleet projected to reach around 2,200 MW by the end of next year. This growth is supported by substantial investments and strategic initiatives from both public and private sectors.

In a related development, Brussels-based renewables developer and independent power producer Aukera announced on Tuesday that it has secured a €60 million debt facility from Kommunalkredit Austria AG to finance its first stand-alone battery energy storage system in Romania.

The 250 MW / 500 MWh project, located in Gura Ialomitei, Ialomita County, will be delivered in two phases and is set to become “one of the largest storage projects in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Phase 1 construction is underway and the full project is expected to be operational by mid-2026.

Aiden Yates, Aukera’s Managing Director for Project Finance, said “This first financing for Aukera in Romania brings together our market-leading local and international expertise across the platform to deliver the first project in our 2 GW Romanian BESS pipeline. It demonstrates our ability to deliver large, complex projects across multiple markets, as we expand our European generation and storage platform.”

Founded in 2021, Aukera focuses on the development, construction, and operation of solar, wind, and battery storage projects. The company is currently developing a pipeline of over 16 GW across the UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Romania. Aukera is currently in pre-construction or construction on approximately 800 MW of projects across its core geographies, including 450 MW of BESS capacity.