Renewables

Bulgaria works on renewables portfolio expansion, plans offshore wind, floating solar

Bulgaria to install pilot floating solar, geothermal projects by end of year borislav sandov

Borislav Sandov (photo: Ministry of Environment and Water)

Published

June 7, 2022

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

June 7, 2022

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Bulgaria intends to start pilot projects for floating solar power plants and geothermal power plants by the end of the year, but also to remove restrictions and simplify the procedures for the deployment of renewables, said deрuty Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov.

Bulgaria needs to accelerate the decarbonization process and investments in renewables to reduce emissions and transform its coal sector.

Sandov said the country would have to return BGN 13 billion (EUR 6.6 billion) secured under the National Resilience and Recovery Plan if emissions are not reduced by 40% by 2026. Bulgaria also won’t get BGN 2.5 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) from the European Union’s Just Transition Fund if its coal power sector is not transformed, he added at the RE-Source Southeast regional conference on renewable energy, local media reported.

Authorities are now trying to establish the regulatory framework which is clear, easy and fast

Various financial mechanisms are available in the EU, such as REPowerEU, worth EUR 300 billion, operational programs Environment and Regional Development, the Modernisation Fund, and Just Transition Fund, Sandov pointed out. They can be used to decarbonize the economy, he said in an interview for Investor.bg.

Sandov stressed the authorities are now trying to make the regulatory framework clear, easy and fast. As an example, he said the country intends to allow the installation of photovoltaic parks on water surfaces and irrigation canals to speed up the use of geothermal energy, and remove restrictions for the construction of wind farms.

Talks are underway with Romania on the construction of an offshore wind farm

Bulgaria is negotiating with Romania on the construction of an offshore wind farm in the Black Sea, according to Sandov. The government is also in talks about the implementation of a new geothermal technology called Geothermal 2.0, in his words.

Sandov believes pilot projects for floating photovoltaics and geothermal energy could be started by the end of the year.

Of note, two weeks ago Bulgaria introduced a law that would eliminate the administrative procedure for households and firms to install renewables on buildings.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Cyprus curtails renewable electricity first half 2025 whole last year

Cyprus curtails as much renewable electricity in first half of 2025 as whole last year

09 July 2025 - Curtailments of renewable electricity in Cyprus topped 167 GWh in the first six months of 2025, equivalent to last year's entire cuts

romania energy storage anre double taxation

Romania ends double taxation of energy storage

09 July 2025 - The National Energy Regulatory Authority has approved the regulation on the elimination of double taxation of energy storage

serbia electricity demand heatwave dragan rakic ems

Serbia’s power demand soars 20%

09 July 2025 - Power demand in Serbia has increased by 15% to 20% over the past three weeks, according to Dragan Rakić, the head dispatcher of TSO EMS

Germany Netherlands emerging BESS optimization offtake deal hotspots

Germany, Netherlands emerging as BESS optimization, offtake deal hotspots

09 July 2025 - BESS dealmaking in Europe has evolved dramatically, driven by diminishing battery pack costs and the emergence of stackable revenue streams, Pexapark said