Government to discuss conditions for energy storage in Czechia, still absent from legislation

Establishing conditions in domestic legislation for storing energy in the electricity system and its commercial use is the main focus of another amendment to the Energy Act. The government will discuss it on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO), energy storage should improve the management of power balance in the system. The amendment specifies, for example, conditions for the commercial use of energy storage and a ban on charging twice for electricity when it is stored. This is according to a government document seen by the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

Until now, Czech legislation lacked rules on energy storage, hampering its development. The amendment also introduces rules for the flexibility of generators, among other things. It responds to a global trend in the energy sector that supports increasing the storage capacity of electricity systems as power generation from renewable sources grows. Batteries are the most common form of energy storage.

According to the MPO, the development of energy storage—that is, the time-delayed delivery of generated electricity to the system—is necessary in particular to make the system more resilient to operational fluctuations, integrate renewable sources into the system and support investment.

In Czechia, the commercial use of large-scale energy storage facilities is still significantly limited. The ministry acknowledges that one of the main problems is that the legal conditions for operating such facilities are still inadequate. Among other things, the conditions for operators of energy storage facilities have not been clarified. The planned amendment is expected to change this.

Czechia is several years behind in legislating for energy storage and the aggregation of flexibility, which is required under an EU directive. According to the Energy Storage Association AKU-BAT CZ, the country is lagging behind its neighbours and could also face penalties as a result. The association says the absence of legislation is holding back the further development of renewable sources and community energy.