Bulgarian natural gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz said that it has launched three tenders worth a combined 265 million euros related to the planned expansion of the country’s sole underground natural gas storage facility at Chiren.
The statement from the operator said that the tenders involve the spatial planning, investment design, supply of necessary materials and equipment, construction and commissioning of underground and above-ground infrastructure facilities at Chiren as well as the site’s connection to the existing transmission system. The deadline for the submission of bids is 19 September.
The first tender is related to the supply of materials and equipment, the construction and commissioning of above-ground infrastructure facilities at Chiren facility. The project work is estimated to be worth around 150 million euros. The second tender, worth some 68 million euros, envisaged the drilling and construction of thirteen new wells, of which ten will be in exploitation, along with compressor stations for each one.
The third tender is related to the design, construction and commissioning of 41 kilometers long pipeline that would connect the Chiren gas storage facility to gas transmission network at the nearby village of Butan, in northwestern Bulgaria. The estimated cost of this tender is around 43 million euros.
In March 2022, Bulgartransgaz launched three tenders for the expansion of Chiren facility worth around 220 million euros in total. However, in April, Bulgaria’s Commission for the Protection of Competition (CPC) halted the tender for expansion of above-ground infrastructure after ruling in favor of a complaint lodged by local company Nova Gas 2021.
