Bulgarian-Turkish-Chinese consortium wins bid for Sofia’s RDF-fired CHP plant

A consortium led by Bulgarian construction company Mix-Construction has been selected for the construction of a combined heat and power (CHP) facility in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.

The construction of the EUR 150 million CHP plant will be a part of the waste management system in the country’s capital. It will use refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to produce heat for the district heating system and electricity which will be delivered to the grid.

The tie-up includes one Bulgarian and Turkish firm, as well as three Chinese companies

District heating utility Toplofikacia Sofia launched the tender in January.

RDF-fired Power Plant Sofia 2021 gave a better offer than the second-placed group, Sofia RDF 2021, according to the announcement of the Public Procurement Agency.

The winning consortium comprises Mix-Construction, Osal Energy from Turkey, and Dongfang Electric from China. Technical equipment for environmental protection will be delivered by China’s Everbright, and the subcontractor is another company from China – Where Engineering.

The CHP plant is planned to be finished by the end of 2023

The start of the construction of the plant is planned for this year, and the companies have until the end of 2023 to complete it. The facility will have a gross power capacity of 21 MW and 49 MW for heat.

The CHP plant project is part of the planned Integrated System of Municipal Waste Treatment Facilities for Sofia Municipality. The system includes separate waste collection, treatment facilities for biowaste and green waste as well as a mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) plant that produces RDF.

The construction will be financed with a EUR 43 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and funds from the Operational Program Environment 2014-2020.