Bulgaria joins the project for laying a 1,200-kilometer cable across the Black Sea

After having expressed several times a readiness to participate, Bulgaria has officially started the procedure to become part of the Green Energy Corridor project. Its essence is the laying of a 1,195-kilometer cable, most of which runs along the bottom of the Black Sea, with a transmission capacity of 1 GW. The news was announced by the Minister of Energy, Zhecho Stankov, during the Tenth Ministerial Meeting of the Strategic Partnership Agreement in the Field of Development and Transmission of Green Energy, which is taking place in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

The Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) will join the corporate discussions on the feasibility studies and will possibly acquire a stake in the project company," Stankov explained.  

The announcement adds that "with its well-developed electricity transmission system, interconnections with neighboring countries and energy storage infrastructure, Bulgaria can play a key role in the development of the Green Energy Corridor project." 

This is a strategic initiative between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary for the development and transmission of green energy. The partnership aims to strengthen national and regional energy security and connectivity in the Black Sea region, diversify supply sources and harness the potential for renewable energy production in the Caspian region. Last year, the Bulgarian Council of Ministers gave the green light to BEH to acquire a stake in the joint venture for the implementation of the project.

Recently, the transmission operators of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Romania registered a joint venture, which will lay the new submarine power cable in the Black Sea. The main focus of the newly registered Green Energy Corridor Power Company, based in the Romanian capital Bucharest, is the study and design of the Green Energy Corridor project.

The purpose of the cable will be to transport green electricity from Azerbaijan's future offshore wind farms through Georgia and the Black Sea to Romania, for further distribution to Hungary and other parts of Europe. 

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov