Connecting Europe Facility funding for storage upgrades
The European Union is supporting expansions at three gas storage facilities in Romania and Bulgaria. The upgrades are designed to increase both reserves and delivery capacity to help regional markets manage supply disruptions and winter demand. Funding through the Connecting Europe Facility will cover 35–50% of eligible project costs.
Bilciurești expansion targets higher withdrawal and working gas
At Romania’s Bilciurești facility, daily withdrawal capacity is set to rise to 20 million cubic metres from 14 million. Working gas capacity will increase by 108 million cubic metres, or about 9%. The changes focus on raising the amount of gas that can be withdrawn during periods of higher demand.
Depomureș phase increases working capacity and daily rates
The first phase of the Depomureș expansion will add 100 million cubic metres. This will bring working capacity to 400 million cubic metres. Injection and withdrawal rates are expected to increase by around 75% to 3.5 million cubic metres a day.
Chiren expansion in Bulgaria raises injection and withdrawal capability
Bulgaria’s Chiren facility is being expanded towards 1 billion cubic metres of storage. Injection and withdrawal capacity is expected to reach 8–10 million cubic metres a day. The projects address constraints related not only to storage volume but also to how quickly operators can release gas when demand rises.
Faster withdrawals could strengthen supply flexibility across neighbouring markets, provided sufficient cross-border transport capacity is available.
