site.btaBulgaria and Japan Deepen Cooperation in Energy Sector


Minister of Energy Zhecho Stankov met with a delegation from Japan led by Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Akiyoshi Kato that also included executives of companies with operations in Bulgaria such as Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Padeco, Panasonic, Hitachi, Kyosan. The main purpose of the visit was to explore investment opportunities and expand bilateral cooperation in strategic sectors.
Stankov said that over the past year cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector has intensified significantly. He pointed as an example to the contract signed in January 2025 between Japan's Toshiba and the international ABB/Voith consortium for the repair of two hydropower units at the Chaira pumped-storage hydropower plant in Southwestern Bulgaria. Three of the plant's four units are expected to be rebuilt as early as 2026, providing over 600 megawatts of capacity to support the national power system.
The Minister highlighted the excellent prospects for deepening bilateral relations both at diplomatic and corporate level, which would help achieve common goals in energy and innovation.
The visit of the Japanese government delegation to Bulgaria comes at a key moment when the Japanese government is allocating funds for energy projects in Eastern Europe. The talks focused on future strategic initiatives in the Bulgarian energy sector such as new pumped-storage hydropower plants, energy storage projects, new units at Kozloduy NPP.
The Japanese party expressed interest in cooperation in key areas of the Bulgarian economy, including nuclear energy, hydropower, electricity distribution networks and digital infrastructure.
The official visit of the Japanese government delegation will continue on Wednesday with a Japan-Bulgaria bilateral business forum on infrastructure, energy and digitization.
/PP/
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