Poland EPRI Cooperates with Tauron

Tauron Group, the Polish state-owned electric power concern, has been participating in research programs carried out by the American Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the area of energy storage.  As result of this cooperation, Tauron became involved in the global wind farm energy storage testing program.  In September 2019, Tauron began construction of its first pilot battery energy storage system in Cieszanowice (Opole voivodship).  

The storage system, based on electrochemical cells, will be built close to Tauron’s 30 MW Lipniki wind farm. The storage facility will have 3.16 MVA of active power and a 774 kWh capacity. The experience gained through results of this pilot project will be used in other regions where Tauron wind farms are located. Tauron received financing from the European Union Infrastructure and Environment Program for years 2014-2020 to facilitate the project.

The energy storage market is developing in Poland, however changes in the Energy Law that would remove barriers for market growth are still pending. Currently, there are two battery storage facilities that are operational in Poland: 0.75 MW and 1.5 MWh energy storage capacity constructed by the state-owned power concern Energa in Puck (northern Poland) in September 2016; and 50kW energy storage constructed by Tauron in Wielska Wies. In addition to the Cieszanowice project, an energy storage project in Bystra is under construction. The project is being developed jointly by Energa, Polish Power Grid (PSE) and Hitachi, and will be the largest in hybrid energy storage in Poland with 6 MW of power and 27 MWH of capacity and is located at the Bystra wind farm in Pruszcz Gdanski (northern Poland). 

The Polish Energy Group (PGE) plans to build eight energy storage facilities, including a 1 MW energy storage facility integrated with the Belchatow lignite power plant.  It will be first energy storage facility working in conjunction with a conventional power plant.  ABB is planning to construct twenty energy storage facilities throughout Poland in the coming years.

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