Construction works on the above-ground part of the Chiren underground gas storage facility have officially started.
The Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz Vladimir Malinov stressed that the expanded storage “will provide more flexibility and security to the natural gas market in Bulgaria and the region.” According to him, because of the connectivity of the gas transmission system and the increase of the transmission capacities at the interconnection points with the neighbouring countries, the Bulgarian market has not felt the disruption of supplies from Russia.
The Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy to Bulgaria Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez expressed support for the project and stressed the importance of security, including energy security. In the words of Energy Minister Rumen Radev, with the implementation of the underground storage expansion, Bulgaria will be a serious regional factor in the storage of natural gas.
The availability of sufficient gas storage, withdrawal and injection capacity is of key importance for ensuring the security of supply and the successful entry into the market of alternative sources, including LNG. The project of Chiren UGS expansion will increase the active gas volume up to 1 billion cubic metres (bcm) and the daily withdrawal and injection capacity up to 8-10 million cubic metres (mcm). In order to achieve the objectives of the storage expansion, activities are carried out on the construction of new above-ground and underground facilities and of a gas pipeline connecting Chiren UGS with the existing gas transmission system of Bulgartransgaz.
