Montenegro’s 2025 tender for 60 MW / 240 MWh of battery storage shows why procurement assessments need to look beyond the initial EPC price. A low bid may bring greater long-term performance and financing risks if it provides less usable energy or falls short during the warranty period.
Reported project costs reflect different scopes
EPCG material put the cost of Montenegro’s original procurement at around 48 million euros. Reported figures range from around 48 million euros to 58.8 million euros, depending on the project stage. They should not be compared directly without accounting for differences in scope.
Regional projects offer context, but are not directly comparable. HELLENiQ ENERGY’s project in Thessaloniki has 100 MW / 200 MWh of capacity and represents an investment of about 50 million euros. Bulgaria’s expansion at Tenevo covers 246 MW / 512.5 MWh and is backed by a 60 million euro financing package. Connection works, warranties and co-located infrastructure differ across the projects, affecting what their reported costs cover.
Headline euros per kWh or initial capital expenditure alone therefore do not provide a consistent basis for ranking bids. Tenders should compare guaranteed usable MWh at commissioning and throughout the warranty period, as well as round-trip efficiency, auxiliary load, degradation and any augmentation obligations. Assessments should also include power conversion system capability, grid-code functions, fire protection, energy management system integration and spare-parts support.
Lifetime delivery and warranty performance
A lower-priced bid that retains less capacity can carry a higher lifetime cost per discharged MWh. Delayed commissioning could cause a project to miss a subsidy deadline, a grid reservation or the strongest early-market revenue window. The vendor’s financial strength is also important, since a warranty is valuable only if its counterparty remains solvent and able to honour it. For lenders, the preferred EPC package is not necessarily the cheapest; the priority is reducing uncertainty around lifetime cash generation and securing enforceable remedies for underperformance, alongside demonstrated usable energy and compliance with grid requirements.