EU energy package to fund Bulgaria power line, gas storage study
The European Commission said on July 14 that the EU governments have approved a package of 150 million euro in funding for gas and electricity infrastructure projects across the EU, including two in Bulgaria.
A total of 20 projects were selected for funding – mainly studies that would receive a total 30 million euro, including 3.9 million euro for 3D seismic surveys as part of Bulgaria’s preparations to expand its underground gas storage facility at Chiren.
The package also envisions funding for three construction projects, including 29 million euro for a new 400kV overhead transmission line in Bulgaria, linking the Maritza Istok power plants in southern Bulgaria to the Black Sea port of Bourgas. The Commission said that the new electricity transmission line was part of a cluster of four lines increasing the connectivity between Bulgaria and Greece.
The overarching goal of all projects slated to receive funding was to increase energy security and contribute to the completion of a European energy market, as well as the integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity grid, according to the Commission statement.
“The completion of a truly competitive EU-wide energy market is essential in order to turn the Energy Union into a reality. But without reliable and well-connected energy networks this will not happen. This is why we are investing in projects to integrate the market further and to diversify sources and routes, in particular in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe as well as in the Baltic region,” energy commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said.
(Photo: Petr Kovar/freeimages.com)
