The capacity of the Chiren gas storage is doubled

The expansion of the Chiren gas storage facility is a continuation of our large gas projects, said Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who inspected the project to expand the capacity of the underground gas storage facility, the cabinet's press service said. with BGN 40 million in the fund of the Three Seas Initiative, the Prime Minister added.

Prime Minister Borissov stressed on Facebook the key role of the repository for the diversification of our energy sources. "It is important to have a place to store gas, especially when it is cheap. The investment will be recouped by the fees that companies will pay for fuel storage," he said. According to him, the preparatory work on the project should be completed by February-March next year.

The gas storage is the only one in Bulgaria, it is used to compensate for the seasonal unevenness of the consumption of blue fuel in our country and is one of the tools for ensuring the security of gas supplies, the press release reminds.

The expansion project started in 2019 and envisages an increase in the volume of working gas from 500 million cubic meters to 1 billion and an increase in the production and injection flow from 4 - 5 million to 8 - 10 million cubic meters / day. This will be made possible by drilling 10 new high-performance wells.

Providing additional storage capacity at the Chiren storage facility will encourage trade in natural gas, increase market competition and contribute to the functioning of a liquid gas market. The project is also in synergy with the liquefied gas terminal project near Alexandroupolis and will enable gas traders and consumers in the region to take full advantage of the dynamic development and competitive advantages provided by the liquefied natural gas market.

The value of the Chiren gas storage expansion project amounts to between 250m and 270m euros. At the moment, the stage for 3D seismic surveys on the area of the Chiren structure is being realized. By mid-August, the field studies had been successfully completed and the analysis and interpretation of the data obtained is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. For the 3D surveys, a grant of EUR 3,900,000 was provided, which is equal to 50 percent of the total value of the survey.