PPC Group announces expansion into the Bulgarian market by starting construction of a new photovoltaic power plant with battery storage, with a total installed capacity of 165 MWp.
At the same time, the co-located battery energy storage system, with 25 MW nominal capacity and 55 MWh installed capacity, which is expected to be completed simultaneously with the photovoltaic plant, will support the operation of the photovoltaic plant and contribute to the stability of the electricity system.
The interconnection of the new project with the electricity system of the neighbouring country will be carried out through a new step-up substation of 33/110 kV, sited within the project boundaries.
For the construction of the new photovoltaic plant, 260,000 state-of-the-art bifacial photovoltaic panels will be used. Similarly, the battery storage energy system will be composed of liquid-cooled batteries with innovative LFP technology, maximising both energy utilisation and safety during operation.
The estimated annual energy generation of the project is expected to exceed 265 GWh, sufficient to meet the energy needs of more than 45,000 households, while the operation of the project is expected to prevent the emission of around 133,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The new photovoltaic plant with the capacity of 165MW is added to the 18MW installed capacity of the Garda wind farm, already operated by the PPC Group in Bulgaria.
PPC Group, on top of the 208MW of RES in operation or under construction, has an additional 550MW of RES in Bulgaria at various stages of development.
PPC Group’s Deputy CEO for RES and CEO of PPC Renewables, Konstantinos Mavros, highlighted: “A few weeks after the commissioning of the photovoltaic plants in Italy, PPC Group’s dynamic expansion into the Bulgarian energy market demonstrates in the most emphatic way the Group’s strategy to be a leading energy player in the wider region of Southeast Europe. The project commencing in Bulgaria is a comprehensive solution, as in addition to the power generation, it also addresses the stochasticity of technology through the storage unit that is being built in parallel.”
PPC Group is expanding its presence in Southeast Europe
PPC Group is moving forward dynamically, with the development of new RES projects, as new wind and photovoltaic projects are constantly being added to the company’s existing projects, which have already reached an installed capacity of approximately 5.5 GW.
According to its three-year strategic plan, by 2027, PPC Group will develop an additional 6.3 GW of RES in Greece and the wider region of Southeast Europe, with the aim of increasing its installed capacity from RES to 11.8 GW by 2027. Today, more than 60% of the RES to be added are already under construction or ready for construction.
In Italy, at the end of 2024, PPC Group announced the commencement of operation of two new photovoltaic plants, Carcarello and Luxenia, with a total installed capacity of 32 MW. The estimated annual energy generation of both plants is expected to exceed 60 GWh, sufficient to meet the energy needs of almost 15,000 households, while the emission of around 37,200 tonnes of CO2 per year will be prevented.
In Romania, PPC Group has doubled its installed capacity from RES and is already the largest renewable energy producer in the country, with 25 wind, photovoltaic and hydroelectric projects as well as battery storage units, with a total installed capacity of 1.3 GW.