Bulgaria’s Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) held a public discussion on the Ten-Year Development Plan of the country’s transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz for the expansion of the gas network between 2023 and 2032.
One of the main goals laid down in the Plan is to guarantee the security of natural gas supplies through investments in the construction of interconnectors that will ensure connectivity with other gas transmission networks, as well as investments in the expansion of the Chiren gas processing plant.
By the end of 2023, the Bulgaria-Serbia Interconnector, worth over 140 million lev (71.6 million euros) is planned to be completed and by 2024 the expansion of the capacity of the Chiren LNG plant will be completed as well, for a value of over 503 million lev (257 million euros).
The transmission operator will also increase and guarantee the technical security, safety and reliability of the gas infrastructure, providing access to natural gas to new municipalities and to new end users.
To reach these goals, investments in the amount of nearly 1.180 billion lev (603.5 million euros) are planned.
Along with the development of the infrastructure for transmission and storage of natural gas, it is also considered a priority to diversify energy sources and supply routes by 2032, for Bulgaria to be connected with gas markets in the Caspian region, Central Asia, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean basin.
