Bulgaria opens tender for renewal of two Chaira hydro units
Date: September 18th 2024
Author: Montel
Category: En.vision
Topic:
Electricity
, Renewables
Bulgarian state-owned power utility Nek has launched a public tender for the supply, replacement, testing and commissioning of two units at the inoperative 864 MW Chaira pumped-storage hydro-power plant, the energy ministry said on Wednesday.
Chaira was completely shut down in May 2022 after a technical failure damaged one of its turbines.Nek will be looking for an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to completely replace units 1 and 4, after analyses concluded that they were heavily depreciated and the optimal long-term solution would be to build new ones.
The estimated value of the order is EUR 112.8m excluding VAT, and the completion period is 42 months. The deadline for submitting offers is 15 November.
Regional importance
Chaira has four Toshiba reversible hydro units, each with 216 MW of generation and 186.2 MW of pumped-mode capacity, making it the largest hydropower complex in the Balkans when operational. Nek also plays an important role in the Bulgarian power market as it sells power futures on the local exchange Ibex.Traders have told Montel the pumped-storage hydropower plant could be used to balance the Bulgarian and Balkan systems on a daily and weekly basis.
“Chaira could store energy as much as one block 1 GW of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant or a 700 MW Cernavoda nuclear unit for nearly eight hours,” one trader said.
Further developments
Bulgaria is planning to further develop its hydropower sector, by adding a further 1.6 GW of capacity in its southern region as part of Nek’s portfolio.In June 2025, the European Investment Bank will provide Nek with technical support in the development of two new pumped-storage hydropower plants each with 800 MW of capacity, which are expected to come online in 2032.
NEK is the largest renewable electricity producer in Bulgaria. It owns 31 hydropower plants, with 2.7 GW of generation and 931 MW of pumped-mode capacity.
Earlier in September, Bulgarian and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding indicating Japan’s intention to be involved in Chaira’s further development.
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