Bulgaria’s Ministry of Energy has approved funding for 31 energy storage system (ESS) projects totaling 4 GWh, worth BGN 228.9 million (~$137.29 million), under its National Renewable Energy Storage Infrastructure RESTORE 2 program.

The country received 93 project proposals, and 30 projects worth BGN 100 million (~$59.9 million) were placed in the reserve list due to funding limitations.

The RESTORE 2 program aims to construct and commission renewable ESS projects with at least 1.9 GWh usable energy capacity at the power grid level.

The ESS facilities awarded under the program will be distributed throughout the country and connected to the electricity transmission network of Bulgaria’s electricity transmission operator, ESO EAD, or to an electricity distribution network. The ESS projects must have a direct optical connection to the ESO EAD’s telecommunications network.

In October 2025, another European country, Spain, approved expanding the budget for non-repayable grants to support 2,416.54 MW of energy storage projects by 20%, from €699.75 million (~$813.7 million) to €839.71 million (~$975.76 million).

According to the European Market Outlook for Battery Storage 2025-2029 report by SolarPower Europe, Europe’s battery energy storage market grew by 15% in 2024. However, the growth had slowed year-over-year. The continent installed 21.9 GWh of battery energy storage systems in 2024, achieving record installations for the eleventh consecutive year and increasing Europe’s total battery capacity to 61.1 GWh. The annual capacity installation growth rate fell to 15% after three consecutive years of doubling newly added capacity.

Global energy storage capacity additions are expected to grow by 35% in 2025 to 94 GW or 247 GWh, according to BloombergNEF. It forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 14.7% between 2025 and 2035, with yearly additions reaching 220 GW or 972 GWh by 2035. The growth will be driven by traditional markets and large-scale utility projects launched or under construction in countries such as Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, Chile, Canada, and the UK.