Hungary has inaugurated what developers say is the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in Central Europe, in another step in the country's rapid expansion of grid-scale energy storage to support its fast-growing renewable energy sector, business online VG writes.

The new facility, located in the village of Buj in northeastern Hungary, has a combined installed power of 99.8MW and an energy storage capacity of 288.5MWh. It consists of two identical battery systems, each rated at 49.9MW/144.3MWh, commissioned by Portuguese renewable energy company Greenvolt Power and carried out by Hungarian engineering group Forest-Vill, which won the tender in December 2024 and completed construction in May 2026.

The Buj project overtakes Hungary's previous largest battery storage facility, a 40MW/80MWh installation at Szazhalombatta developed by MET Group, which was connected to the grid in 2025 and was also built by Forest-Vill.

The project uses BYD's lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology,  which underscores its growing role in Europe's energy storage market. BYD, which has an e-bus factory in Hungary, is  also building its first European passenger car factory in Szeged, southern Hungary

According to Forest-Vill, the two battery systems can supply enough electricity in a single discharge cycle to cover the consumption of more than 40,000 households. The modular, containerised design allows for future expansion and includes digital monitoring and predictive maintenance systems to improve operational reliability.

The projects received funding of €28mn from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Battery storage has become increasingly important for Hungary as solar capacity has expanded rapidly over the past few years. The country already has one of the highest shares of solar generation in Central Europe, which has created challenges for balancing electricity supply during periods of strong sunshine and low demand. Hungary’s outdated grid has also constrained the integration of solar and wind.

Hungary has been adding more than 1GW of new solar capacity each year, and over 300,000 households are now equipped with rooftop solar panels. The government is targeting an increase in installed solar capacity from 8.3GW to 12GW by 2030 as part of its broader energy transition strategy.

The commissioning comes shortly after Hungary joined a new European initiative to accelerate battery storage deployment.

In June, Economy and Energy Minister Istvan Kapitány announced that Hungary had joined a political agreement signed by 22 EU member states, the European Commission, financial institutions and industry participants aimed at speeding up investment in energy storage between 2026 and 2028. Under the initiative, participating countries pledged to develop 45GW of new storage capacity over the period, with Hungary committing to 700MW, bringing its total to 1000MW.

The announcement also follows concerns over the resilience of Hungary's power system during periods of extreme heat. Earlier this summer, high temperatures forced output reductions at the Paks nuclear power plant after cooling water temperatures in the Danube approached regulatory limits, highlighting the need for greater flexibility in the country's electricity mix.