One of Czechia’s largest battery storage facilities due near Břeclav
One of Czechia’s largest battery storage facilities will be built near Břeclav this year. It is expected to contribute to grid stability and will have a capacity of 31 megawatt-hours, representatives of MND said at a press conference in Prague today. It will begin operating at the start of next year. The company plans to complete another six large-scale battery storage facilities in the Czech Republic and two more in Germany.
From October, power companies will begin connecting standalone battery storage facilities to the distribution grid in Czechia. According to the AKU-BAT Energy Storage Association, the largest facility commissioned to date in Czechia, by LG Energy Solution, Siemens and LTW Battery, has a capacity of 29 megawatt-hours.
The possibility of connecting standalone battery storage facilities to the grid stems from this year’s amendment to the Energy Act, Lex OZE III, which, after years of discussion, established rules for energy storage, aggregation and flexibility in Czechia.
According to the association, these facilities are still something of a rarity in the Czech Republic, as there had been neither a legislative framework nor financial support for them. Several larger systems do operate, but only in combination with other energy sources, most often at heating plants, power plants, with gas-fired generation or with photovoltaics.
"The advantage of battery storage facilities is that they are relatively compact and do not require extensive land take, and are usually located in less attractive areas such as industrial zones," said Michal Sasín of MND.
In Břeclav, for example, the site is near a high-voltage substation. "We also plan to build others at the sites of our photovoltaic power plants, thereby optimising their available output," he added.
Large-scale battery storage facilities increase grid stability and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy mix. They can respond not only to energy surpluses but also to shortages in the grid, helping to prevent outages. According to the company, the total capacity of MND’s battery storage facilities under construction in Czechia will be 107 megawatt-hours.
Other large battery storage facilities are planned, among others, by financier Pavel Tykač’s Sev.en group, in Chvaletice in the Pardubice region and in Kladno. Their capacity should be several times greater than that of facilities commissioned so far in the Czech Republic.
