SAPI: Slovakia Has Alternative to Power Plant in Malinec €1.2 billion Cheaper

Bratislava, 20 January (TASR) - The Malinec pumped-storage power plant project isn't the best solution for Slovakia's energy security and doesn't meet the criteria for a significant investment in the public interest, the Slovak Sustainable Energy Association (SAPI) stated on Tuesday, adding that battery storage facilities represent a faster and more environmentally friendly solution. Furthermore, a battery storage facility of the same capacity would cost €1.2 billion less than the power plant and would be more efficient at providing faster ancillary services for network stability, especially in areas with high demand. "Within the first phase, building a 600-megawatt (MW) plant in Malinec would allegedly cost €1.8 billion. As demonstrated by projects across Europe, the same capacity in the form of a battery storage facility would cost less than a third of that amount, i.e. €600 million. Slovaks would thus save as much as €1.2 billion," said SAPI director Jan Karaba, who didn't compare the service life and long-term costs of both solutions, however. An added benefit would be the smaller area required for battery storage, with only half the size of the 100 hectares of land, including valuable forests, that would be necessary for the pumped-storage plant. Moreover, the area required by battery storage facilities would further decrease with future technological advancements. Karaba also criticised the planned site for the hydro-power plant, as the area around Lucenec (Banska Bystrica region) isn't known for significant electricity generation or consumption. Unless the power plant is used in particular for stabilising Hungary's grid, electricity will be uselessly transferred back and forth across half of Slovakia's territory because the nuclear power plants are located in western Slovakia. Using a battery-based solution would also be a more logical choice in terms of timing. "Malinec should be completed in 2035. Industrial-grade battery storage, or two or three units with a capacity of 200 MW each in locations where they are really needed, could definitely be completed by 2029," added Karaba. jrg/df