Central Europe energy storage facility

General description

Energy storage facility with a preliminary cumulative installed capacity of 70 MW. The final storage capacity, enabling a net annual electricity generation, will be approximately 45 GWh. The storage facility will consist of smaller units (35-70 MW) located in Slovakia (Central Europe).

Considering energy density, charge and discharge efficiency, life span, and ecofriendliness of devices, the battery storage shall be based on Lithium-ion technology. In smaller scale, to increase the energy density of the batteries, the project also foresees the implementation of Lithium-sulphur technology.

The ELSEA project was enlisted on preliminary ENTSO-E’s TYNDP 2020. The list of projects is published on the ENTSO-E website.

The planned completion of the first phase of the project is in 2027.

Project leaflet (.pdf)

Why a large energy storage in Central Europe?

Intermittent generation (wind, solar) causes difficulties for its dispatching as well as increases the complexity of network management. Currently there are no sufficient capacities to store excess energy even for short-time periods, what leads to increased demand for ancillary services and triggers inefficiency in energy utilisation.

Investments

Energy transition requires massive investments into transmission and distribution infrastructure.

High volatility

High volatility on energy markets makes power cost prediction very difficult. Currently consumers have no relevant measures to manage peak consumption.

Impact on enviroment

A negative impact on environment is caused by CO2 intensive power generation that aims to provide ancillary services for the grid.

Accumulating surplus

Decentralised generation units in EU citizens‘ homes would be more effective if they could accumulate the surplus power and supply it when needed.

Benefits of the project

  • Energy storage technologies allow us to store excess energy and discharge it when there is too little generation or too much demand.
  • Energy storage provides flexibility at different time-scales – seconds/minutes, hours, weeks and even months.
  • Storage can help consumers increase self-consumption of solar electricity, or to generate value by providing flexibility to the system.
  • Storage can help defer costly investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure, extending the lifetime of existing assets and supporting more efficient functioning of grids.
  • Energy storage deployment could facilitate the electrification heating, and cooling sectors and support the roll-out of very fast charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, particularly in areas with weak grids.
  • Industrial consumers can install storage facilities to reduce consumption peaks, and to provide back-up power if there is a blackout.
  • Storage at any level offers system services, safeguarding the secure and efficient operation of the electricity system.

Why ZSE Group?

ZSE Group, Slovakia based energy company, has 100+ years of experience from the electricity market in Central Europe. The company is one of the most innovative power and gas suppliers in the region. In 2025, ZSE Group serves more than 1,5 million customers and delivers annually 9 TWh of energy.

Contact for public consultations

ZSE Group, a.s.
Čulenova 6
81647 Bratislava
Slovakia
info@elsea.sk