Statkraft Installs First BESS at Navarra, Spain Wind Farm
Statkraft, Europe’s largest renewable energy producer and a leader in the PPA market, has received a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) that will be hybridised with part of its wind project in the municipality of Tudela, Navarra.
The system, the first of its kind installed by the company in Spain, consists of six lithium ion battery containers with a total installed capacity of 14.26 MW and an energy storage capacity of 28.51 MWh, allowing for a two hour charge and discharge cycle. Thanks to this installation, the wind farm segment with 25.8 MW of installed capacity will be able to manage energy during peak production periods, especially when the grid is saturated, improving overall efficiency and strengthening security of supply.
To deploy this pioneering infrastructure, Statkraft will invest 4 million euros and work with leading suppliers, including the battery system provider and the company responsible for supplying both the power conversion systems associated with the batteries, designed and manufactured in Navarra, and the plant control system. Notably, Hithium is building its second manufacturing plant outside China in the Navarra region.
This hybridisation project, scheduled for installation in the coming months, has been selected to receive public funding that could cover up to 24 percent of the battery investment. The support comes from the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy, under Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, within the framework of the first call for innovative energy storage projects hybridised with renewable generation facilities. The programme is financed through the European Union’s Next Generation EU funds under Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
Statkraft considers storage a key enabler for achieving a 100 percent renewable energy mix and is developing innovative battery projects in several of the countries where it operates, in addition to storage systems linked to its pumped hydro plants in the Nordic region.
In Spain, the company has prioritised energy storage and is currently processing eleven additional battery hybridisation projects linked to existing renewable facilities. Together, these projects exceed 200 MW of capacity and are associated with operational sites in Galicia, Andalucía, Navarra and Extremadura. In addition, Statkraft is planning two stand alone storage systems totalling 90 MW of installed capacity and 360 MWh of storage.
Montes de Cierzo, a benchmark in wind repowering
Statkraft is progressing with the construction of its second wind repowering project in Spain at the Montes de Cierzo wind farm in Navarra. The company has already replaced 44 turbines with 10 modern units and is now entering the final phase of the project, which involves installing four new turbines to replace the remaining 41 machines from the original wind farm commissioned in 2000.
Once operational, the repowered facility will be more efficient, generate more clean energy and significantly reduce its environmental footprint. The number of turbines will be reduced by 84 percent, from 85 to 14, while installed capacity will increase by 50 percent, from 60 MW to 90 MW. Annual clean energy production is expected to double from 145 GWh to around 300 GWh.
With the addition of the battery storage system, the Montes de Cierzo wind farm will become one of the first repowered and hybridised renewable installations in Spain.
Through this initiative, Statkraft is advancing two key levers of the energy transition: repowering existing renewable assets and hybridising them with storage systems. This combination enables greater clean energy generation with a lower land footprint, improves renewable integration into the electricity system and maximises the value of existing infrastructure, contributing to a more efficient, flexible and sustainable energy model.
Presence in Navarra
Statkraft, a Norwegian company and Europe’s largest renewable energy producer, also operates another wind complex in Navarra. This facility comprises four wind farms with a combined installed capacity of 139.2 MW, located in Corella, Tudela and Fontellas. Commissioned in spring 2024, it includes 24 turbines capable of supplying clean, affordable and locally produced energy equivalent to the average annual consumption of 123,000 households, preventing the emission of more than 112,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
About Statkraft
Statkraft is a leading international hydropower company and Europe’s largest renewable energy producer. The Group generates hydropower, wind, solar and gas based energy. It is also a global player in energy market operations and employs around 6,200 people in 20 countries. In Spain, Statkraft is developing a renewable portfolio of more than 1.4 GW and operates 650 MW of wind and solar assets, in addition to managing 730 MW of third party solar capacity. The company is a reference player in the Iberian PPA market, representing 2.1 GW of solar and wind capacity.
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