The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy announced that the tender for the development of at least 3,000 MWh of energy storage systems has garnered 151 proposals, totaling nearly 2.56 billion euros in investments. These proposed projects are competing for 590 million euros in grant funding under the National Infrastructure for Storage of Renewable Energy initiative, which is part of Bulgaria’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Each project can receive up to 50% of its approved costs per MWh, with a maximum grant of 76 million euros per project.
Launched in August, the tender was delayed until recently when state aid approval from the European Commission was obtained. The Ministry of Energy has set a deadline for the energy storage facilities to be operational by March 2026, with project maturity and implementation progress to be assessed in May 2025.
Caretaker Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, expressed his satisfaction with the strong interest in renewable energy storage. He emphasized that this initiative will significantly boost the share of renewable energy in Bulgaria’s energy mix, supporting the European Green Deal and the goal of a carbon-free energy future. The successful execution of these battery projects is expected to improve the stability of both Bulgaria’s and the region’s energy systems.
