Bulgaria opens bidding for 3GWh standalone battery energy storage

Bulgaria has called for applications in a tender process for about 3 GWh of energy storage capacity in the country. The scheme was announced earlier in June this year. 

As part of the National infrastructure for the storage of electricity from renewable sources (RESTORE), the country's Ministry of Energy is seeking battery energy storage system (BESS) capacities that can be operationalized before March 2026.

The scheme is also part of the country's National Recovery and Sustainability Plan (NRSP) put forth by the European Union (EU), even funded by EU's Recovery and Resiliency Facility (RRF). Accordingly, bidders can claim for up to €76,053,166 each in financial support to cover up to 50 percent of the eligible costs of the project. 

Applications will be evaluated and ranked as per the requested grant per MWh, in which the project with a higher capacity will be ranked higher. Further, the lower grant per MWh will be ranked higher. The investment proposal with the longer warranty period will also be be ranked higher for bids made at parity. 

The funding will be made available and disbursed to the selected candidates following the successful implementation of the storage systems by March 2026. The energy storage capacities incubated under the scheme will be connected to Bulgaria's national network by its electricity system operator.

The Bulgarian government considers the latest battery storage tender as part of its larger efforts to increase the share of renewable energy generation, especially wind and solar, in the country's energy mix and ensure seamless integration of clean energy into its national electricity grid.