Bulgarian natural gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz said that a total of nine interested parties have submitted their bids at three tender related to the expansion of Chiren underground gas storage facility.
The first tender attracted two bids – Tech Energy Expansion consortium consisting of Glavbolgarstroy, its international subsidiary of the same name, Bulgarian company Protracing and Polish Techmadex, and Chiren Had 2022 consortium led by Atomenergoremont with local Silver Way and German Habau Group.
Two bids were received for the second tender as well – Chiren Drilling 2022 consortium consisting of Atomenergoremont and INA Build, and Exalo Drilling Chiren consortium of Glavbolgarstroy, its international subsidiary and Bulgarian company Gas Project Development.
The remaining five bids were received for the third tender – Canpipe Industries International Bulgaria and four consortia: Stroygassystem (Glavbolgarstroy and Protracing), Chiren Nova Pipeline (Atomenergoremont, Diema Stroy and Habau), Infra Expert-Vemak (Bulgarian Infra Expert and local subsidiary of Turkish oil and gas company Vemak) and Chiren Power Line investor group.
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. The tenders were relaunched in August.
