Poland breaks ground on one of Europe’s largest battery storage projects

Ceremony marks milestone for Polish energy sector

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Friday in Kartoszyno, on the shores of Lake Żarnowiec in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Attendees included Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska, South Korea’s Ambassador Jun Youl Tae, senior representatives of PGE, local politicians and municipal leaders.

- This project is not just about strategy or regulation – it’s modern energy and modern economy in practice, said Energy Minister Motyka, highlighting the investment’s significance for both national sovereignty and regional development.

Boosting stability amid renewable growth

Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska stressed the need for large-scale storage to match the expansion of renewable generation.

- The most expensive energy is the energy we lose, which we cannot absorb into the system, she noted, adding that government policy will back both utility-scale and residential storage.

Her ministry has set a target of 200,000 household battery systems by the end of the current parliamentary term.

Polish-made batteries, Korean partnership

PGE’s CEO Dariusz Marzec underlined that 100% of the batteries for the Żarnowiec project will be manufactured domestically, with LG Energy Solution Wrocław appointed as the general contractor. “This is an excellent beginning to our cooperation with the Korean side and reflects a clear understanding of Polish priorities,” he said.

Project details and timeline

The Żarnowiec BESF will have a storage capacity of approximately 981 MWh and represents an investment of PLN 1.5 billion (€330m). It is scheduled to begin operation in 2027.

Located close to PGE’s planned offshore wind farms and Poland’s largest pumped-storage hydropower plant at Żarnowiec, the battery facility has already secured Poland’s first-ever energy storage license, a grid connection agreement and a 17-year capacity market contract starting in 2029. PGE has also applied for funding from the EU-backed National Recovery Plan (KPO).

Part of PGE’s long-term strategy

The project forms a cornerstone of PGE’s strategy to expand its storage portfolio to more than 18 GWh by 2035. This includes:

• 8 GWh in battery energy storage systems,
• 10 GWh in pumped-storage hydropower,
• 0.5 GWh in thermal storage.

The group expects to invest PLN 14 billion (€3.2bn) in energy storage over the next decade. Already, PGE controls nearly 90% of Poland’s pumped-storage capacity.

Key step in Poland’s energy transition

The Żarnowiec battery storage project is expected to significantly increase the flexibility of Poland’s electricity system, enabling the integration of large-scale renewables and strengthening energy security. It marks a crucial step in the country’s transition toward a low-carbon, resilient power sector.