Photo: ESO
Bulgaria’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) has signed a contract with the Ministry of Energy on a EUR 65 million grant for the first phase of a project called the Greenabler, aimed at adapting the country’s power transmission network to fully integrate the renewable energy potential. The ministry also signed a total of EUR 101 million in grants for three power distribution companies for network modernization.
The first group of investments under the Greenabler project is worth EUR 568 million and is planned for phased financing from the European Union’s (EU) Modernisation Fund over the next seven years, ESO said in a statement. The European Commission has allocated EUR 65 million in 2024 for the implementation of the activities envisaged in the first phase, it added.
The first group of investments includes the reconstruction of 720 kilometers of existing power lines to increase their nominal voltage from 220 kV to 400 kV and reconstruction of the adjacent substations from 220/110 kV to 400/110 kV.
Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov said the projects implemented with the help of the Modernisation Fund should help increase the grid’s transmission capacity and enable connecting more renewable energy sources.
The Greenabler should facilitate the integration of 4.5 GW of new renewables projects
The Greenabler project has a total value of EUR 857 million. The remaining EUR 225 million is envisaged for the next phases, including the reconstruction of the Hemus – Stara Planina power line from 220 kV to 400 kV, the reconstruction of nearly 890 kilometers of 110 kV power lines, and the doubling of over 92 kilometers of 110 kV power lines, ESO said.
The project aims to ensure the necessary technical capabilities for the integration of 4.5 GW of new renewables projects, said ESO.
Three power distribution companies will get EUR 101 million in modernization grants
The Ministry of Energy has also signed contracts on grants to three power distribution companies to help them install smart meters, modernize information systems, and integrate network transformers for automatic voltage regulation. The grants, totaling about EUR 101 million, are also financed from the EU’s Modernisation Fund.
At the signing of the contracts, Malinov described the allocation of the grants as a decisive step towards improving the services of ESO and the three electricity distribution companies.
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