Energy Minister hopes that by 2026, two more repaired units at Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant will be operational

Caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev, and caretaker Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, on December 23 visited the "Chaira" Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant in connection with the completed repair of the hydro unit 2.

The intensive repair activities, which lasted 12 months, guarantee the security and efficiency of the facility, which can now actively participate in the country's electricity system. The same approach will be used for the restoration of Unit 3, with its repair expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

"More than two years and eight months after none of the machines at Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant were operational, today is a historic day— unit 2 is now providing its services to the power system, both in pump mode and in generating mode," said Minister Malinov, highlighting the efforts of the current and previous governments. He added, "The good news is that we are not stopping here," and noted that negotiations for the repair of unit 3 are also underway, with plans to sign a contract with a consortium by December 27, pending approval from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Malinov also pointed out that last week, NEC (National Electricity Company) held negotiations with Toshiba for the repair of hydro unit 1. Final corporate approvals are awaited from Toshiba's management, and the minister expressed hope that the contract for this repair would be signed before the end of the year. The technical and financial terms of the contract have already been agreed upon as part of the public procurement procedure.

"We hope that by early 2026, we will have two more hydro units available, providing approximately 600 megawatts," the minister said.

He also pointed out that the public procurement process for the complete replacement of hydro units 1 and 4 is ongoing, with the deadline for submitting bids set for February 2025. Malinov explained that the long-term solution involves a full replacement of the two units, while the medium-term solution is to repair and commission them.

The Chaira pumped storage plant is the largest underground plant on the Balkan Peninsula, located below the Belmeken dam. The plant has four hydro units with a total capacity of 864 megawatts in generating mode and 788 megawatts in pumping mode. Following an incident during testing after rehabilitation, the plant has been out of operation since March 2022.

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photo by BTA