A 2.7 million euros worth contract on the design of the upgrade of above-ground facilities at Chiren gas storage facility with a consortium of German and local companies was signed by Bulgarian natural gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz.
The contract was signed with a consortium consisting of PGH and Chiren Engineering and the works should be completed within ten months. Following the completion of the design project, the upgrade is expected to be finished in 2024. The project on expanding the capacity of Chiren underground gas storage envisages a staged capacity increase of the only gas storage facility on the territory of Bulgaria in order to achieve greater stored gas volumes, increased gas reservoir pressures and higher daily average withdrawal and injection rates. The project provides for increase of the working gas volume up to 1 billion cubic meters and withdrawal and injection rates increase up to 8-10 million cubic meters per day. Chiren has been the only gas storage on the territory of Bulgaria for 40 years. It is a key instrument for the functioning of the gas market in Bulgaria, covering the seasonal fluctuations in natural gas consumption in the country by securing the necessary flexibility caused by the differences between the supplies and consumption, and ensures emergency reserve. Chiren gas storage is a crucial instrument ensuring the security of gas supplies.
