Photo: Ministry of Energy
Two units in the Chaira pumped storage hydropower plant of Bulgaria’s state-owned National Electricity Co. (NEK) are functional again, and another one is under repair. The system broke down completely in 2022. Acting Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Traycho Traykov has revealed there are ten more sites available in the country for such facilities. The projects, of which some have won European Union approval, include Chaira 2.
After a series of crashes and failed repair attempts, the largest pumped storage hydropower plant in the Balkans was completely out of order from mid-2022. Unit 2, one of four in total, came back online in late 2024. Just recently, works finished on Chaira’s unit 3. Acting Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Traycho Traykov has visited the facility to witness the progress in the repair of unit 1, scheduled to return in 2028.
The authorities are finalizing public procurement documentation for unit 4, he added. Traykov stressed that the delivery of the equipment would be separated from the construction and installation works. The switch follows several unsuccessful attempts at conducting a public call. Kapital learned that talks are underway with Toshiba, the manufacturer of the original equipment.
Chaira has a nominal 784 MW in total pumping capacity and 864 MW for power production. It is part of the Belmeken-Sestrimo-Chaira hydropower complex, owned by state-owned NEK, which is in turn part of the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH). The facilities are southeast of Sofia and west of Plovdiv.
NEK rehabilitated the Belmeken pumped storage hydroelectric plant two years ago. It consists of five units with 373.5 MW in generation capacity. Two are reversible, enabling 104 MW in pumping mode.
EU endorsed several pumped storage hydropower projects
Equally important, Traykov revealed that Bulgaria has determined ten suitable sites for pumped storage hydropower plants. They include Dospat, Batak and Chaira 2, he added.
The EU has already selected some of the projects among its priorities for financing. For its part, NEK has made significant progress in documentation for several of them, the article reads.
Yadenitsa endeavor to triple reservoir volume of Chaira
The procedure for Yadenitsa must be launched as soon as possible, the acting minister stressed. The location for the dam is between Belovo and Yundola and the facility would be part of the Belmeken-Sestrimo-Chaira cascade.
Yadenitsa is worth EUR 250 million. The main objective is to connect the planned dam to Chaira with a tunnel. It would triple the water volume available to the largest pumped storage hydropower plant. The EU has approved the addition of Yadenitsa to its Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list.
Chaira 2 envisages the construction of a new generation of variable frequency hydropower units. They enable more flexibility, higher efficiency at partial loads and a much faster response to fluctuations in production of electricity from renewable sources.
Bulgaria hosts two smaller pumped storage hydropower plants as well
Bulgaria’s third existing pumped storage hydropower system is called Orphey. Installed inside the Vacha dam in the country’s south, it comprises four turbines with just under 164.8 MW in total. One unit can work both ways, where the pumping mode capacity is 47.4 MW, NEK’s data shows.
A new pumped storage hydroelectric plant is planned near Ravnogor, according to earlier updates. The village is right next to the Vacha 1 hydropower plant and Orphey pumped storage system. The proposed facility would have some 800 MW in capacity, similar to Chaira, according to Stankov. The three existing pumped storage hydropower plants and the sites for the four projects are all in the Rhodope mountains in the south.
NEK and energy policy makers have made energy storage a top priority in Bulgaria. Its battery storage market, in stellar expansion, is by far the strongest in Europe relative to the size of the economy and population.
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