Grid-forming energy storage: Why has it become a necessity for the Eastern European power grid and the next technological frontier?

Created on 12.18

In the midst of gunfire and severe cold, the 600,000 households in Kyiv, Ukraine may not know that an advanced energy storage system capable of autonomously "building" a power grid is fighting for critical time for their electricity supply.

Ukraine's largest private energy company DTEK has partnered with the American company Fluence to build the largest battery storage project in Eastern Europe after it goes into operation, with a total scale of 200MW/400MWh.This system, distributed across six sites, can not only independently restore the operation of the local power grid during power outages, but its total investment amounts to 140 million euros.The content provided is already in English.

At the same time, the grid-forming energy storage system provided by China Chint Power has successfully connected to the grid in Ukraine, and its system can respond to voltage fluctuations within 20 milliseconds, providing stable support for weak grids.The content you provided is empty. Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

01 Power Grid Crisis: The Real Dilemma of Energy Transition in Eastern Europe

The energy transition path of Eastern Europe is facing severe infrastructure challenges. Taking Ukraine as an example, its power system has long been highly dependent on centralized power sources, a structure that appears particularly fragile under external shocks.The content you provided is empty. Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

The destruction caused by geopolitical conflicts has exacerbated this challenge, with reports indicating that the conflict has destroyed more than half of Ukraine's power generation capacity.This makes building a decentralized and resilient energy system a pressing survival need rather than a long-term plan.The content you provided is already in English.

This vulnerability is not unique to Ukraine; it reflects a common weakness in the entire European power grid in the era of high proportions of new energy integration. The large-scale blackout incident that occurred in Spain in April 2025 caused a loss of about 15 gigawatts of generation capacity within 5 seconds, affecting millions of people.

This accident was like a "stress test" for the modern power grid, thoroughly exposing the fatal issue that as inverter-interfaced power sources such as wind and solar power rapidly replace traditional synchronous generators, the inertia that the grid relies on for stability is quickly disappearing.

Figure 1 Load chart of the Spanish power grid on the day of the blackout incident

02 Technical Field: From "Follower" of the Power Grid to "Builder"

Traditional energy storage systems mostly belong to the "grid-following" type. They act like precise followers, needing to constantly monitor the voltage and frequency signals of the grid and adjust their output accordingly. However, when the grid itself collapses due to a fault and the signals disappear, these "followers" lose their reference, become unable to act, and may even exacerbate system chaos.

In grid-type energy storage, it plays the role of a "leader" or "builder." Its core lies in the inverter's ability to autonomously generate stable voltage and frequency references without relying on external grid signals, simulating the operating characteristics of traditional synchronous generators.The content you provided is empty. Please provide the text you would like to have translated.

This means that it can not only support a normally functioning power grid but also actively "construct" a stable voltage and frequency environment after a grid collapse, becoming the "starting point" and "fulcrum" for system recovery. For regions like Ukraine, where the power grid may suffer sudden attacks, this capability is described as "the ability to independently restore local grid operation in the event of a power outage," and its strategic value is self-evident.。

03 Policy-driven, from technical options to grid access thresholds

The frequent occurrence of power grid safety crises is rapidly pushing grid-forming capabilities from "advanced technology options" to "market access thresholds." The EU's ongoing promotion of the "Grid Code for Generator Connection Requirements" version 2.0 is expected to make grid-forming functionality a mandatory requirement for large-scale energy storage projects with a rated power exceeding 1 megawatt.

This policy trend directly responds to the urgent demand for stability in the power grid. Research by the European Network of Transmission System Operators indicates that the integration of a high proportion of power electronic devices has increased the speed of fault propagation in the grid by three times. The enforcement of regulations marks a shift in the competitive core of the European energy storage market, moving from a comparison of costs and capacities to a technological competition regarding grid support capabilities.

For Eastern European countries that urgently need to strengthen energy security and grid resilience, this transition is highly aligned with their own needs. The "2030 National Renewable Energy Action Plan" passed by the Ukrainian government has clearly included the demand for energy storage facilities.The synchronous resonance of technical regulations and regional strategies has cleared the way for the large-scale application of grid-type energy storage in Eastern Europe.

04 Market Competition: The Technological Positioning Battle in Eastern Europe

On the eve of the full implementation of the new regulations, the technical competition for the Eastern European market has already begun. Ukraine has become the "frontline testing ground" for showcasing the value of network construction technology.

In addition to the 200MW/400MWh flagship project in collaboration with Fluence, DTEK emphasized its grid construction capabilities.The technical solutions of Chinese enterprises are also being rapidly implemented. The string-type grid-connected energy storage system provided by Chint Power for Ukraine has been completed and connected to the grid.The content you provided is already in English.

The system demonstrates three core grid networking functions: intelligently responding to phase jumps in the power grid to prevent disconnection, dynamic reactive power compensation within 20 milliseconds to stabilize voltage, and providing virtual inertia to support frequency.Another Chinese company, Kubo Energy, has successfully connected its 9MW/18MWh energy storage project in Ukraine to the grid, aiming to enhance grid stability and the capacity for renewable energy absorption.The content you provided is already in English.

These projects collectively validate the applicability and necessity of networked technology in the complex power grid environment of Eastern Europe. Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Glushchenko commented on this: "In the context of the energy system suffering large-scale attacks, the role of energy storage systems has become as important as energy generation itself."

05 Future Blueprint: Building a Resilient Grid with Proactive Defense

The popularization of grid-type energy storage signifies a transformative shift in the energy systems of Eastern Europe from a model of "passively enduring shocks" to "actively maintaining stability." Its significance goes far beyond the upgrade of a single device; it represents a fundamental innovation in the philosophy of power grid operation.

Looking to the future, with the widespread deployment of networked energy storage on the generation side, grid side, and user side, the power network in Eastern Europe is expected to evolve into an organism composed of multiple self-healing, islandable "microgrids" or "grids." When the main grid collapses due to extreme events (such as natural disasters or attacks), these areas can quickly separate and utilize local networked resources to maintain power supply for critical loads, thereby greatly reducing the scope of power outages and accelerating the overall recovery process.

For energy investors, projects with grid-connecting capabilities will enjoy higher premium capacity and longer technical lifecycles. For grid operators, this serves as a "ballast" to withstand uncertainty and ensure power supply security. For the entire industry, this heralds the arrival of a new competitive era where deep technical understanding and system integration capabilities serve as a moat.

When Ukraine's energy storage projects guard the light for hundreds of thousands of families amid the flames of war, they rely not only on stored electricity but also on the ability to build a power grid. From being forced to respond to crises to actively shaping resilience, grid-forming energy storage is transforming the historical weaknesses of Eastern European power grids into a strategic new high ground for technological innovation and energy security. This silent technological revolution will ultimately redefine the reliability of power grids and the energy future of a region.

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