"Bulgartransgaz" starts working on hydrogen infrastructure projects in our country

The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) held a public discussion of a ten-year network development plan of "Bulgartransgaz" for the period 2023 - 2032, BTA reported. In the report to the EWRC, the company indicated that guaranteeing the security of natural gas supplies to the country will be implemented through investments in the construction of interconnections to ensure connectivity with other gas transmission networks and investments in the expansion of the underground gas storage in Chiren, both in terms of the extraction and injection facilities, as well as the possibilities for storing a larger volume of natural gas.

Another main goal of the transmission operator is to provide access to natural gas to new municipalities and to new end users, which will contribute to the improvement of ecology, quality of life, energy efficiency and the realization of savings from cheaper fuel. This is planned to be done by expanding the existing gas transmission networks to new regions of the country and building new gas measuring and gas regulating stations, providing the possibility of joining the gas transmission networks of new end users or gas distribution networks.

During the public discussion, EWRC chairman Ivan Ivanov asked the representatives of Bulgartransgaz whether the construction of the gas pipeline from the underground gas storage "Chiren" to the "Butan" crane junction is not part of "Balkan Stream". The company's response was positive, and they added that currently "Balkan Stream" is not used for the transfer of natural gas by Bulgarian companies. That is why Ivanov asked who this expansion of the gas transmission system will serve, because only natural gas from the Russian company "Gazprom" flows through Balkan Stream in the direction of Serbia, Hungary and Austria. Nikola Delev from "Bulgartransgaz" replied that the connection between the underground gas storage Chiren and the Butan tap junction should not be considered as a separate network, because it is a single network, allowing the transfer of gas from any entry point to an exit point in the country.

According to him, this does not mean that the transfer of gas to the storage and from it to a certain group of users or an exit point from the network is limited. He added that all Bulgarian or foreign companies willing to store natural gas in the gas storage in Chiren would have the opportunity to benefit from the new connection. The company noted that this connection will allow to increase the capacity to the gas storage and to work at a higher-pressure during injection and extraction, thus optimizing the operation of the gas transmission system as a whole.

According to Ivan Ivanov, the gas connections between Bansko and Razlog, as well as to Panagyurishte and Pirdop, should have been built as a priority, rather than the one between Butan and Chiren, because the first two connections directly affect the interests of a large part of the Bulgarian business that uses natural gas.

In the plan of "Bulgartransgaz" it is written that key for market integration, diversification and ensuring the possibility of transferring additional quantities of natural gas to and through Bulgaria will be: the intersystem gas connection with Serbia; the expansion of the underground gas storage "Chiren"; the liquefied natural gas terminal near Alexandroupolis; infrastructure development projects, with the aim of increasing transmission capacities from Greece to Bulgaria and from Bulgaria to Romania.

"Bulgartransgaz" develops hydrogen-oriented projects, which are: construction of hydrogen transport infrastructure in Bulgaria; smart upgrade of the existing Bulgarian gas transmission network and network-related assets for efficient integration of low-carbon and renewable gases, as well as an infrastructure project for the transmission of hydrogen and low-carbon gaseous fuels in the Eastern Marishki region.

The closed meeting, at which EWRC will rule on the ten-year network development plan of "Bulgartransgaz" for the period 2023-2032, is scheduled for September 13, announced the chairman of the regulator Ivan Ivanov.