There is a regulatory obstacle related to biofuels, which could leave Bulgaria without gasoline from March 1st and with a greatly reduced supply, the Bulgarian Oil and Gas Association announced.
In their words, "the mistake was made" during the transposition of a European directive on renewable sources, when the biofuel component was dropped and if this does not change by March 1st, the country may be left with significantly reduced fuel supplies.
The Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov explained that a legislative change has been prepared, which, if adopted by the National Assembly, will protect consumers.
„The largest battery in Southeast Europe will be working again. This is one of the main priorities of the government in energy and today we are taking a serious step towards its implementation. I am glad that our efforts to restore the operation of this unique facility are supported by companies with undisputed expertise, knowledge and experience - the Japanese Toshiba and the Voith ABB consortium, said the Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov during the ceremony of signing contracts for the repair and rehabilitation of hydro units 1 and 3 of the Chaira Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The Toshiba Corporation, which is the manufacturer of the original equipment of the plant, will repair hydro unit 1, and the Voith ABB consortium - hydro unit 3.
According to Minister Malinov, the work of the Chaira Hydroelectric Power Plant is of key importance both for energy security and for better balancing of the power system and for the successful integration of the growing RES production in the region.
Thanks to its successful implementation, the hydro unit passed the 72-hour tests at the end of 2024 and can now participate in the country's power system. The same approach will be applied to hydro unit 3.
The “Chaira“ HPP did not produce energy for more than three years after an accident. At the end of March 2022, during startup after repairs, a serious accident occurred in one of the turbines, and weeks later all the capacities of the pumped-storage HPP stopped.