After long delays, investors will be able to implement energy storage projects with the help of nearly 1.2 billion levs.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy launched the "National Infrastructure for Energy Storage of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources" (RESTORE) procedure under the National Recovery and Sustainable Development Program (NRSP). The procedure provides an opportunity to significantly increase the share of renewable energy sources (wind and solar) in the energy mix. "The investments realized within the framework of the restoration will guarantee the security and stability of the Bulgarian power system," Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov stressed. According to him, the program will contribute to the balancing and management of the network, which is necessary for the integration of electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
The investment will support the construction and commissioning of energy storage facilities from renewable energy sources with a usable energy capacity of at least 3,000 MWh, connected to the transmission and distribution networks on the territory of Bulgaria. If they are connected to the distribution network, they should also be connected to the telecommunication network of the "Electricity System Operator" EAD. Expenses incurred after the date of public discussion of the procedure (i.e. June 25, 2024) will be eligible for funding under the procedure.
The selection of submitted investment proposals will be carried out through the current open and competitive bidding procedure based on clear, transparent and non-discriminatory proposal selection criteria. The amount of free financing under the current procedure is BGN 1,153,939,700. There is no minimum limit on the amount of financing per proposal, the maximum amount of funding for one proposal from one enterprise is BGN 148,643,080. The maximum intensity of grant funding for each applicant is 50% of eligible costs, but not more than BGN 371,607.70 (excluding VAT) for 1 MWh of usable energy capacity. An applicant may submit multiple proposals and the amount of funding received by him shall not exceed 1/6 of the number of places in the procedure.
Investments under the procedure must be completed and put into operation by March 2026. In May 2025, a check will be made on the maturity of the projects and their implementation.
The package is published in the "National Recovery and Resilience Plan" section of the Information System on Mechanisms (ISM) – Information System for Management and Monitoring of EU Structural Instruments in Bulgaria (ISUN 2020).