site.btaEU to Invest EUR 650 Mln in Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure, Including in Bulgaria

The European Commission (EC) will allocate nearly EUR 650 million in grants from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to help finance 14 cross-border energy infrastructure projects, the EC reported on Wednesday. Bulgaria is set to receive funding under the programme.

According to the EC, the projects will play a vital role in strengthening the EU's energy security, increasing the integration of renewable energy and, as a result, Europe's competitiveness. 

Almost EUR 104 million will go to a smart grids project between Bulgaria and Romania. The transmission and distribution networks will be modernized and digitalized to improve efficiency and enable secure electricity flows from renewable generation.

To help the uptake of the growing hydrogen market and to decarbonize the EU industry, more than EUR 176 million will be dedicated to boost hydrogen infrastructure. Projects in Bulgaria (for EUR 4.56 million), Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Slovakia will receive grants to support research in this field.

As emphasized in the recently adopted European Grids Package, improved interconnectivity is crucial for the EU to reduce energy prices for consumers and industry and to ensure our independence.