site.btaJapan's Toshiba to Assist with Restoring Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant's Work

Japan's Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation will assist Bulgaria with restoring the work of the Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant (Chaira PSHPP) as soon as possible.

This was agreed during the meeting of caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov with the Managing Director and Director of Energy Systems at the corporation, Tsutomu Takeuchi, the Ministry of Energy said.

The two held talks in Tokyo, where Minister Malinov is on a working visit. The conversation between Minister Malinov and Tsutomu Takeuchi is a continuation of the active communication between Bulgaria's National Electric Company (NEK) and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation regarding the corporation's potential options for the restoration of the Chaira Power Plant.

As a short-term measure, NEK is to issue a tender for the repair of the plant's Hydro Unit 1 in the next two weeks. This is necessary in view of its key importance for the country's energy system and its significance in ensuring electricity security. 

"Toshiba Energy System & Solutions Corporation is the manufacturer and supplier of the equipment for the Chaira Power Plant and the owner of the technical and manufacturing documentation for the project. This necessitates the award of the repair work to this manufacturer. In the long term, a public tender for the supply and replacement of generators, turbines, main and auxiliary equipment and control systems, testing and commissioning of hydro units 1 and 4 of the plant is to be announced, Minister Malinov said. 

In February the NEK Executive Director Martin Georgiev said that by the end of the year he expects to complete the repair of hydro unit 2 at the Chaira power plant, implemented by the ABB-Voith consortium. After that, the same technical solution is to be applied on hydro unit 3. Work on that is also expected to take no more than a year, he said at the time.

In June, Martin Georgiev announced that he expected to have two working hydro units from the Chaira hydropower plant by the end of 2025. He said that there are experts from Toshiba on site analyzing the possibilities of restoring hydro unit 1. 

"The involvement of the corporation in the repair and restoration works of the plant is of key importance for the successful continuation of its reliable operation in the future," Minister Malinov said Wednesday. He noted that deepening cooperation between Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation and NEK is a leading factor in ensuring the security of the country's electricity system. Minister Malinov and Tsutomu Takeuchi also discussed other potential investment opportunities for Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions in the Bulgarian energy sector.

During his visit to Japan, the Energy Minister also held talks with Toshiaki Higashihara, Director, Executive Chairman and Representative Executive Officer of Hitachi, as well as Makoto Takashima, Chairman of the Board, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking. The two are co-chairs of the Committee on Europe of Keidanren, the country's largest business organisation, which brings together companies from different sectors of the Japanese economy. Cooperation between Bulgarian and Japanese companies to achieve energy transformation in Bulgaria was one of the central topics of this conversation. The parties agreed that by the end of this year Bulgaria will host a business forum with the participation of companies from both countries.

Hitachi expressed interest in participating in the expansion of the electricity grid in Bulgaria. The company also expressed its willingness to share its experience in the construction of transformers as well as in the field of small modular reactors, it became clear during the talks.

The Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) will assist any Japanese company interested in working with Bulgaria. This was discussed during the talks between Minister Malinov and Atsuo Kuroda, Chairman and CEO of the company.

Speaking to his hosts, Minister Malinov expressed his confidence that his visit to Tokyo is an excellent basis for further deepening the cooperation between Bulgaria and Japan, which already has a decade-long history. The year 2024 marks 115 years since the first official contacts between the two countries and 85 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. 

During his visit to Japan, Minister Malinov also met with the President of the Friendship Group with Bulgaria in the Upper House of the Diet, Junichi Ishii.  The promotion of ties between the two countries in all areas of mutual interest - business, tourism, exchange of know-how, culture, education and others - was at the centre of the talks.