Ukraine's DTEK invests in major battery storage to bolster energy security

KYIV, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Ukrainian private energy firm DTEK has launched the country's largest battery storage facility to ensure stable power supplies in the face of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy sector, the company said on Thursday.

Russia, which launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, is attacking its energy system, depriving Ukraine's industry and millions of residents of power.

DTEK said its total investment in the project amounted to 125 million euros ($146.13 million).

Six battery storage systems have been connected to the power grid in the capital Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions in eastern Ukraine, it said.

The combined facilities, which were constructed in partnership with U.S.-based Fluence FLNC.O, a global leader delivering intelligent energy storage, have the capacity to store 400 megawatt hours of electricity - enough to power 600,000 Ukrainian households for two hours.

DTEK said the new systems would increase the security of the electricity supply and reduce the risk of outages and accidents, especially in the event of a breakdown in some power generation.

"In the context of large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy system, the role of energy storage systems has become just as fundamental as energy generation itself," said energy minister Svitlana Grinchuk.

($1 = 0.8554 euros)