The Ministry of Energy has launched the "National infrastructure for storage of renewable energy" (RESTORE) procedure of the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan. The procedure provides an opportunity to significantly increase the share of renewable energy (wind and solar) in the energy mix. "The investments to be implemented under RESTORE will ensure the security and stability of the Bulgarian electricity system", Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov stressed. In his words, the programme will contribute to balancing and grid management, which is necessary for the integration of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.
The investment will support the construction and commissioning of electricity storage facilities from renewable energy sources with a minimum of 3000 MWh of usable energy capacity, connected to the electricity transmission and distribution networks on the territory of Bulgaria. In case they are connected to the electricity distribution networks, they shall also be connected to the telecommunication network of the Electricity System Operator EAD. Costs incurred after the date of publication for public consultation of the procedure, i.e. 25 June 2024, will be eligible for financing under the procedure.
The selection of the submitted investment proposals will be carried out through this open and competitive tender procedure on the basis of clear, transparent and non-discriminatory selection criteria. The grant under this procedure amounts to BGN 1 153 939 700. There is no minimum amount to be financed for each proposal and the maximum amount per proposal per undertaking is BGN 148 643 080. The maximum grant intensity for each applicant is up to 50% of the eligible costs, but not more than BGN 371 607,70 (excluding VAT) per 1 MWh of usable energy capacity. A single applicant may submit several proposals, which in total could receive no more than 1/6 of the funding quota of the procedure.
Investments under the procedure must be completed and commissioned by March 2026. In May 2025 the maturity of the projects and their implementation will be verified.
The package of documents is published in the Information System for the Mechanism - the Information System for Management and Monitoring of EU Funds in Bulgaria (EUMIS 2020), section "National Recovery and Sustainability Plan", at the following web address:
https://eumis2020.government.bg/en/s/Procedure/Info/5ec491ab-50e7-4bf7-9757-2290e3ef33f3
Source: Ministry of Energy
