IN Brief:
- Poland’s energy ministry and TAURON have signed a cooperation agreement for Rożnów II.
- The proposed pumped-storage plant is rated at 767MW with around 3.1GWh capacity.
- Construction is planned between 2028 and 2033, subject to development and permitting.
TAURON Polska Energia and Poland’s Ministry of Energy have signed a letter of intent covering development of the proposed Rożnów II pumped-storage power station.
The project is planned with approximately 767MW of generating capacity and 3.1GWh of stored energy. Its investment value is estimated at close to PLN7 billion, with construction provisionally scheduled between 2028 and 2033.
Rożnów II would use existing infrastructure associated with Lake Rożnów and the surrounding terrain. A conceptual design has been completed, environmental and hydrological assessments have begun, geological investigations are under way, and TAURON has secured most of the land required for the development.
Grid-connection conditions have also been obtained, although the project must still progress through environmental permitting, detailed engineering, financing, procurement, and construction preparation before a final investment decision can be taken.
Under the proposed operating arrangement, electricity would be used to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir during charging periods. Water released through reversible pump-turbines would then generate electricity when additional output is required.
With 3.1GWh of energy capacity, the plant could sustain its maximum 767MW output for roughly four hours. Actual dispatch would depend on hydraulic conditions, reservoir levels, operating reserves, conversion efficiency, water-management obligations, and instructions from the transmission system operator.
Poland’s increasing wind and solar capacity is strengthening the requirement for flexible generation capable of absorbing surpluses and responding during lower renewable output. Pumped storage can support wholesale balancing, reserve requirements, frequency management, and peak demand while reducing reliance on less efficient part-loaded thermal generation.
Rotating hydroelectric machines also provide system characteristics that differ from inverter-connected batteries and renewable generation. Depending on equipment and operating mode, they can contribute inertia, fault current, voltage control, and other services required to maintain transmission-system stability.
Existing hydro infrastructure can reduce some development requirements, but a pumped-storage project remains a substantial civil and electrical undertaking. Waterways, underground structures, penstocks, reversible machines, generators, transformers, high-voltage switchgear, protection, control systems, and the grid connection must be designed as a single installation.
Geological conditions can alter both cost and programme, particularly where excavation, tunnelling, foundations, or slope stability require additional treatment. Hydrological modelling must also reconcile energy operation with reservoir management, river conditions, environmental limits, and other water users.
The Rożnów proposal includes a flood-management function, with the planned operating arrangement expected to improve Lake Rożnów’s ability to absorb part of a flood wave on the Dunajec River. Energy dispatch and water management will consequently require coordinated operating rules rather than separate control regimes.
TAURON estimates that approximately 80% of the project’s value could remain within Poland through domestic engineering, manufacturing, and contracting. The eventual proportion will depend on procurement strategy and the availability of specialist equipment, particularly large reversible machines and high-voltage components.
Across Europe, pumped storage is returning to energy planning after a period in which most new flexibility investment concentrated on lithium-ion batteries. ČEZ’s planned conversion of units at the Orlík hydroelectric station follows a similar strategy of using established hydro infrastructure to add reversible storage capability.
The two technologies serve overlapping but distinct functions. Batteries can be deployed modularly, respond rapidly, and be positioned close to specific constraints, while pumped storage generally requires longer development periods and suitable geography but can operate for decades with periodic refurbishment.
Poland’s changing generation mix is likely to require both. Solar production can depress daytime prices during favourable conditions, wind output can remain high or low across extended weather patterns, and thermal generation will increasingly compete with lower-marginal-cost renewable electricity.
Storage capable of charging during surpluses and generating during scarcity can reduce curtailment, lower balancing costs, and provide reserve capacity. The commercial structure must nevertheless recover substantial capital expenditure through a combination of wholesale spreads, capacity payments, balancing services, ancillary services, and strategic support.
Market rules will also need to avoid dispatch incentives that conflict with flood-control or reservoir-management obligations. Where one asset performs energy, capacity, network-support, and water-management functions, the operating framework must assign clear priorities and compensation.
The letter of intent moves Rożnów II further into Poland’s strategic energy programme, but its proposed 2028 construction start remains dependent on detailed design, environmental approval, financing, procurement, and a bankable long-term revenue model.
