PPC Group starts construction of new 165 MW photovoltaic plant in Bulgaria

PPC Group expands into the Bulgarian market with the construction of a new photovoltaic plant with battery storage, with a total installed capacity of 165 MW. At the same time, the co-located battery energy storage system, with 25 MW nominal capacity and 55 MWh installed capacity, which is expected to be completed simultaneously with the photovoltaic plant, will support the operation of the photovoltaic plant and contribute to the stability of the electricity system.

The interconnection of the new project with the electricity system of the neighbouring country will be carried out through a new step-up substation of 33/110 kV, sited within the project boundaries.

For the construction of the new photovoltaic plant, 260,000 state-of-the-art bifacial photovoltaic panels will be used. Similarly, the battery storage energy system will be composed of liquid-cooled batteries with innovative LFP technology, maximising both energy utilisation and safety during operation.

The estimated annual energy generation of the project is expected to exceed 265 GWh, sufficient to meet the energy needs of more than 45,000 households, while the operation of the project is expected to prevent the emission of around 133,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The new photovoltaic plant with the capacity of 165MW is added to the 18MW installed capacity of the Garda wind farm, already operated by the PPC Group in Bulgaria.

PPC Group, on top of the 208MW of RES in operation or under construction, has an additional 550MW of RES in Bulgaria at various stages of development.

PPC Group’s Deputy CEO for RES and CEO of PPC Renewables, Konstantinos Mavros, highlighted: “A few weeks after the commissioning of the photovoltaic plants in Italy, PPC Group’s dynamic expansion into the Bulgarian energy market demonstrates in the most emphatic way the Group’s strategy to be a leading energy player in the wider region of Southeast Europe. The project commencing in Bulgaria is a comprehensive solution, as in addition to the power generation, it also addresses the stochasticity of technology through the storage unit that is being built in parallel.”