Lithuania is rapidly emerging as a frontrunner in Central and Eastern Europe for battery energy storage deployment, with a string of large-scale projects designed to stabilise the grid and enable greater penetration of renewables. As the country moves away from reliance on Russian energy and strengthens its integration into the European grid, energy storage has become a central pillar of its strategy to ensure flexibility, resilience, and security of supply.
The state-owned Ignitis Group is spearheading the effort with three landmark projects in Kelmė, Mažeikiai, and Kruonis. Together, these sites will deliver a combined 291 MW / 582 MWh of capacity. The systems will be supplied by Rolls-Royce Solutions GmbH, using its mtu EnergyPack technology, and are expected to be operational by 2027. Located strategically alongside Ignitis wind farms and near the Kruonis Pumped-Storage Plant, the projects will enhance renewable integration and grid balancing, while representing an investment of around €130 million.
Private developers are also entering the Lithuanian storage market. In September 2025, Finnish company Olana Energy acquired a 70 MW / 140 MWh project in Šalčininkai from UK-based Aura Power. Co-developed with Lithuanian partner Balancy Grid, the project is designed for a two-hour storage duration and will connect to the 110 kV Jasiunai–Šalčininkai line. With commercial operation scheduled for Q4 2026, this will be Olana’s first investment outside its home market in Finland, signalling growing international confidence in Lithuania’s storage sector.
Aura Power and Balancy Grid have been building a pipeline of projects in Lithuania, with another major scheme in Kaišiadorys—a 50 MW / 100 MWh BESS—already sold to local firm UAB Karjerų linija. These transactions highlight the attractiveness of Lithuania’s regulatory and investment environment, while enabling developers to recycle capital and expand their portfolios. At the same time, the projects offer the national grid the flexibility needed to manage increasing volumes of solar and wind power, which continue to expand at record pace.
Together, these developments underline Lithuania’s ambition to become a clean energy hub in the region. By pairing renewable expansion with large-scale storage, the country is addressing intermittency issues, smoothing out electricity prices, and building resilience in the face of geopolitical and climate risks. If delivered on schedule, the Ignitis and Olana projects will not only transform the Lithuanian power system but also set a precedent for neighbouring Baltic and Central European states seeking to accelerate their own energy transitions.
