The Bulgarian TSO has received requests for the connection to the grid for more than 24,000 MW of photovoltaic projects, said Emil Yankov, Business Development Manager with Trakia Economic Zone (TEZ). TEZ is preparing to become carbon neutral by 2040 and is investing heavily in creating a green energy infrastructure for its current and future clients.
„In 2020 we established the plan of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. We have already installed a 10 MW photovoltaic plant. We want to be attractive for foreign investors”, Yankov stated, at the conference “Regional Approach Sofia – Energy Goes Both Ways”, organized by Energynomics.
TEZ is operating more than 60 economic zones in Bulgaria, where more than 250 active companies, mostly international. The company began its activity in 1995 and has since attracted more than three billion euros of investments. TEZ is expecting several big investments in Bulgaria, and it has created the infrastructure needed by the companies. One of the investments is the biggest European electric bike factory which will produce more than one million bikes in 2025.
„In the next five years the number of electric cars will increase and this is another thing to think about. We have 250 GW battery plants on pipeline. We are also looking for battery producers and want to attract more companies from the EV business. In March next year, we expect a Romanian metal company to start production in Bulgaria. Right now we are in the phase of preparing the last details of the contract”, Yankov added.
At the same time, the electricity prices have increased tremendously, at the level of 40-50 cents for kWh, which is affecting most of companies.
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„This price will not go down for the next two or three years. It will go up. All the companies are looking for solutions and are asking us what we can offer them in this regard. These companies want predictable and stable electricity prices based on purchase power agreements (PPA). Many investors, including large ones, ask for a 20-year period for a PPA to have access to stable prices and security of supply”, according to Yankov.
The conference “Regional Approach Sofia – Energy Goes Both Ways” was organized by Energynomics with the support of our partners: ABB România, Electro-Service RB, Kawasaki Gas Turbine Europe, Signify.