Albania’s Project Blue has placed an order for a 130 MWh battery system with Sungrow for the first phase of a subsidy-free solar development. The order is described as an early test of whether merchant solar-plus-storage can operate at scale without state-backed revenue support. Financial terms and commissioning dates for the battery order were not disclosed.
The contract covers 26 PowerTitan 2.0 battery systems and 13 transformer units for the first 185 MWp phase of the project. Developers Matrix Konstruksion and Blessed Investment Group are also planning a second phase that includes an additional 164 MWp of solar and an 80 MW/180 MWh BESS. Together, the wider Project Blue development would reach 349 MWp of solar capacity and more than 300 MWh of storage.
Market role of storage in Albania’s power system
Albania is adding solar capacity while remaining heavily dependent on hydropower and electricity imports during periods of poor hydrology. Battery storage is expected to reduce exposure to low daytime prices by shifting solar output into higher-value evening hours. Storage can also provide balancing services and reduce the volume of electricity that must be curtailed when the grid is saturated.
Commercial structure and implications for merchant financing
The Project Blue development is being pursued without government subsidies, unlike auction-backed projects. As a result, financing is expected to rely more on merchant-price assumptions, offtake arrangements, and the ability of storage to capture intraday spreads. The battery order is characterized as an equipment-supply milestone rather than confirmation of financial close or commercial operation.
If Project Blue reaches operation on a merchant basis, it could serve as a benchmark for the bankability of unsubsidised solar-storage projects across the Western Balkans.