Ignitis brings 174 MW of solar online in Latvia and adds a 215 MWh battery

Lithuanian company Ignitis Renewables began commercial operation of its 173.6 MW Tume solar plant on November 6, 2026, in the municipality of Tukums, Latvia, and is building a 107 MW/215 MWh battery that will be integrated into the same site, according to LRT and pv magazine.

The park covers 302 hectares, comprises more than 282,000 panels and is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 85,000 households, according to the company. LRT puts the investment at 106 million euros. The plant ranks among the largest in the Baltic states and is Ignitis Renewables' third solar project in Latvia, after Vārme, at 94 MW, which entered operation in July 2025.

The battery will have 107.2 MW of power and 214.5 MWh of capacity, roughly two hours of duration at full power, with an investment of close to 35 million euros and entry into operation expected in 2028, according to Ignitis Group. Co-location allows it to charge from surplus solar and return energy to the grid during peak demand hours without requiring a second interconnection point, an arrangement that reduces associated transmission work. Tume is also the company's first solar project with trackers that follow the sun's movement and the first maintained primarily by in-house staff, pv magazine reports. The market is keeping pace: Latvia's cumulative solar capacity surpassed 1.5 GW in August and the technology was the country's largest source of generation in May, June and July, according to figures from system operator Augstsprieguma tīkls. A study by the Fraunhofer ISE institute found that the country set a European Union record for solar's share of domestic generation in June.

The date to watch is 2028, when the battery enters operation and the park operates as a hybrid unit. That shared-connection model is the one being evaluated by grid operators seeking to integrate more renewables without expanding transmission.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.