site.btaNational Electricity Company: Hydro Unit 2 of Chaira Power Plant Tests Operational Since January

Hydro Unit 2 of the Chaira pumped-storage hydropower plant in Southwestern Bulgaria successfully passed 72-hour tests on January 9, 2025 and is ready to meet the needs of the power system, the National Electric Company (NEK) announced on Thursday.

The plant is actively covering peak load during the winter months and operating in generator and pump mode as required by the system.

In early 2025, NEK signed two contracts for the repair and rehabilitation of Hydro Units 1 and 3. An agreement has been signed with Toshiba Corporation of Japan for the repair of Hydro Unit 1, which has not been rehabilitated since its start-up in 1995. Toshiba, as the original manufacturer, will ensure safe operation with a state-of-the-art technical solution.

An agreement was signed with Austria's ABB/Voith alliance for the rehabilitation of Hydro Unit 3, similar to the already refurbished Hydro Unit 2. The dismantling of the generator and turbine section has been completed, and a platform is currently being prepared to analyse the condition of the equipment.

According to NEK, these repairs are a key part of the strategy to restore the country's largest hydropower plant. Additionally, a procedure has been launched for the complete replacement of Hydro Units 1 and 4, for which five applications have been submitted. An evaluation and a second stage of the tender are pending.

Earlier in the day, Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MPs Yordan Ivanov and Atanas Atanassov said that not a single hydro unit at the Chaira plant is working, which creates a serious problem for Bulgaria's balancing energy system.

"Not a single hydropower unit at the Chaira plant is working. This is a key balancing power in Bulgaria. We are repairing GERB’s failed repairs," Yordan Ivanov said. He added that they will insist that Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov answer what action will be taken and when this power will be operational.

“We have a big problem with the so-called balancing power, which is at the Chaira power plant,” MP Atanas Atanassov said. "Repairs have been ongoing there for several years, and the units are not operational. This is a crucial element for the country's national security," Atanassov stated, adding that it is a constant source of corruption.