Industrial Battery Storage for Dnipro: A Pre-Design Survey Checklist

1. What to Measure at Your Site

Start with the load. For a 1 MW BESS, you need a 15-minute load profile for at least a year. If you have a transformer at 10/0.4 kV, the BESS will most likely connect on the 0.4 kV side. That limits you to about 1 MW per transformer, and at 0.4 kV you will not get more than that without a new transformer.

Measure voltage harmonics, especially if you have arc furnaces or rolling mills. Those create harmonics that can trip your BMS. Also measure the reactive power flow. A BESS with a four-quadrant inverter can do reactive power compensation, but only if you size it right.

If you have backup diesel generators, record their starting sequence. The BESS must coordinate with them to avoid islanding.

2. Which Documents to Pull

Get the following from your archives: single-line diagrams, transformer nameplates, utility bills for the last 12 months, and the technical conditions (TU) from DTEK Dnipro Electric Grids. The TU will tell you the permitted connection point and the maximum power injection. Without that, the BESS design is guesswork.

Also pull the contract for electricity supply, because it defines the tariff structure. If you are on a two-zone tariff, the BESS can shift load. If you are on a power demand charge, the BESS can shave peaks.

If you have a solar PV plant, include its output profile. The BESS can smooth the PV output and increase self-consumption.

3. Grid Constraints to Verify with DTEK

Contact DTEK Dnipro Electric Grids for the connection approval. They are the DSO for the region, and they handle the application. You will need to submit a technical enquiry with your proposed BESS capacity and the connection point. They will issue new or updated TU, which will specify the voltage class and the protection requirements.

At 10 kV, you can go up to 5 MW. At 35 kV, even more, but the cost of the transformer and switchgear rises quickly. Check the short-circuit capacity at the connection point. A BESS with a 10 kV connection needs a transformer with an impedance that limits the fault current.

Ask DTEK about the permitted power factor range. Some grid codes require a power factor of 0.95 lagging to 0.95 leading. The BESS inverter must be capable of that.

Do not assume that the existing connection is sufficient. The TU will state the maximum export limit. If you plan to charge the BESS from the grid, that is an import, but if you want to export, you need a separate agreement.

4. The Solution: Sizing and Configuration

From the data above, we calculate the BESS capacity in kWh and the power in kW. For peak shaving, a typical rule of thumb is 1 kWh per 1 kW of peak shave for a 2-hour duration. For frequency regulation, you need a higher C-rate, so a 1C system might be required.

We use LiFePO4 cells from CATL and other Tier-1 manufacturers. The batteries are liquid-cooled, which is essential for the hot summers in Dnipro. The cabinets are rated IP55/C4, which withstands the industrial atmosphere with dust and humidity.

The BMS ensures cell balancing and protects against overcharge/over-discharge. The EMS/SCADA integrates with your plant's PLC. We can also connect to DTEK's dispatch system if required.

Without a load profile, that figure is rough. But a typical 1 MW/2 MWh BESS for a pipe rolling plant in Dnipro can pay back in 4-6 years, depending on the tariff and the ability to participate in the ancillary services market.

5. What We Deliver as an EPC Contractor

BESS Ukraine Engineering Group is a full-cycle EPC contractor. We do the audit, design, supply, installation, commissioning, and service. We work with industrial storage from 50 kW to 5 MW. We do not do residential systems; those go to SolarProm.com.ua.

Our scope includes: load profiling, feasibility study, design documentation (project), TU approval support, equipment delivery, installation, and commissioning. We also provide remote monitoring and maintenance contracts.

We are based in Kyiv, but we have done projects in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. You can reach us at +380 44 339-50-20 or engineering@bess.com.ua. We will start with a site visit to collect the data on this checklist.