The Chiren gas storage facility now has the status of a "national site"

The Chiren Underground Gas Storage (UGS) now has the status of a “national site”. Such a decision was made at today's meeting of the Council of Ministers. The act is in connection with the Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/389 of the European Commission of 31 October 2019, by which the project for expansion of the only gas storage in our country has been confirmed as a project of common interest. A specific regime is introduced for its implementation, which includes the mandatory giving of the highest priority according to national legislation.

With the status of "national site" UGS "Chiren" will be able to rely on accelerated issuance of permits, rules for EIA and public awareness at the earliest stage of their implementation, regulatory incentives, rules for cross-border allocation of costs and mechanisms for financial support. Yesterday, the Ministry of Environment and Water announced that a joint EIA procedure is being launched simultaneously for the three projects for the expansion of the gas storage capacity.

The project envisages a gradual increase in the capacity of the only gas storage facility in Bulgaria. Its implementation is expected to double the volume of stored gas to 1 billion m3 and the production and injection flow to 8 - 10 million cubic meters per day.

UGS Chiren is a key instrument for the functioning of the gas market in Bulgaria, which compensates for the seasonal unevenness in the consumption of natural gas in the country. The project for its expansion aims on the one hand to create conditions for ensuring security of gas supply, and on the other - the integration of storage in an interconnected regional and pan-European market.

The Chiren UGS capacity expansion project is included in the Community Ten-Year Network Development Plan developed by ENTSOG and is included in the gas regional investment plans for Central and Eastern Europe and the Southern Corridor region. The project is part of the national ten-year plan for development of the network of Bulgartransgaz EAD for the period 2021-2030. It has the status of a priority project under the initiative "Three Seas".