Sun, Nov 22 2009

Energy system ready for the winter, ministry says

Fri, Nov 13 2009 13:02 CET byPetar Kostadinov 848 Views
Energy system ready for the winter, ministry says

Chiren storge facility

Photo: NIkolai Doichinov

Bulgaria's energy grid was ready to face the winter season, Bulgarian news agency BTA quoted the Energy, Economy and Tourism Ministry as saying on November 13 2009.

As of Septembers 30, all of the annual repair and maintenance works on energy plants  ahead of the winter season had been successfully completed, a ministry media statement said.

The sixth unit of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant and the sixth unit at Thermal power plant in Varna had been refuelled and checked.

All plants have been supplied with enough fuel to last them through the season.

Bulgaria's only natural gas storage facility in Chiren had enough natural gas to last the country for 25 days at an average daily consumption rate of 4.7 million sq m, should a halt in supply emerge, BTA said. Chiren's total storage quantities could last for nine months. 

Unlike last winter when, following the Russia-Ukraine dispute, Bulgaria was cut off from natural gas supplies for days, the country now has a reverse pipeline connection with Greece which could also be used for gas deliveries, the ministry said.

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