In 2021, hydroelectricity generated 11% of Bulgaria’s electricity.[1] As of 2020, the country's total installed electricity capacity was approximately 12,839 MW, with hydropower contributing 25%, or 3,213 MW.[2]
In Bulgaria, the development of Small Hydropower Plants (SHP) is supported by various factors, including open electricity and financial markets, higher Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for SHP compared to large hydropower, and diverse financing options such as bank credit, direct private investments, and public-private partnerships. Additionally, opportunities for financing through special trust funds and EU-supported programs are available.
The government 2030 energy plan calls for an additional 870MW of hydro capacity.
The possibility of two hydro dams on the Danube river, built and shared in conjunction with Romania are under consideration in 2023.[3]
Two pumped hydro plants are also planned using the existing Dospat Reservoir and the reservoir at Batak, each would generate 800MW capacity and provide a means to use excess wind and solar energy by pumping the water back up to the dams. Completion could be by 2032.[4]
The 15 largest HEP stations, all owned by the state-run National Electricity Company, account for most of the country's HEP installed capacity and HEP power.[5] (p. 12,p. 32) They are arranged in four series, or "cascades", of between 3 and 5 reservoirs, and all are located in the Rhodope mountains in Southwestern Bulgaria. Three of the stations are pumped-storage stations ("PS-HPP").(p. 14) Some analysts say that further modernization, such as of its pumped storage hydro, could be profitable.[6]
| Name | Location | Production Capacity (MW) | Total production (2011) (MWh) | Constructed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmeken–Sestrimo–Chaira Cascade | Kriva reka, Yadenitsa | 1 599 | 1 395 000 | – | – | |
| Chaira PS-HPP | 864 | 774 000 | 1995 | Pumped Hydro | ||
| Belmeken PS-HPP | 375 | 293 000 | 1975 | Pumped Hydro | ||
| Sestrimo HPP | 240 | 222 000 | 1975 | – | ||
| Momina Klisura HPP | 120 | 105 000 | 1975 | – | ||
| Dospat–Vacha Cascade | Vacha | 464 | 530 000 | – | ||
| Teshel HPP | 60 | 120 000 | 1972 | – | ||
| Devin HPP | 82 | 79 000 | 1984 | – | ||
| Tsankov Kamak HPP | 82 | 102 000 | 2011 | – | ||
| Orfey PS-HPP | 160 | 116 000 | 1975 | Pumped Hydro | ||
| Krichim HPP | 80 | 113 000 | 1973 | – | ||
| Batak Cascade | Stara Reka, Chepinska reka, Devinska reka | 254 | 506 000 | 1955 | – | |
| Batak HPP | 47 | 78 000 | 1958 | – | ||
| Peshtera HPP | 136 | 300 000 | 1959 | – | ||
| Aleko HPP | 71 | 128 000 | 1959 | – | ||
| Arda Cascade (or "Lower Arda Cascade") | Arda River | 326 | 251 000 | – | ||
| Kardjali HPP | 124 | 74 500 | 1957 | – | ||
| Studen Kladenets HPP | 82 | 92 000 | 1958 | – | ||
| Ivaylovgrad HPP | 120 | 85 000 | 1964 | – | ||
| Other HPPs | 83 | 165 000 | – | |||
| Total | 2 713 | 2 847 000 | – | – |
NEK also owns and looks after several large dams which are either used for providing fresh water only, to store water for HPPs downriver, or else have provided HEP power in the past but have ceased to do so.(p. 15-17) These include –
| width=100 align="center" | Name | width=100 align="center" | Location | width=100 align="center" | Production Capacity (MW) | width=100 align="center" | Total production (2011) (MWh) | width=100 align="center" | Constructed | width=100 align="center" | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iskar Reservoir | Iskar River, Sofia | – | – | 1954 | – | ||||||
| Golyam Beglik Reservoir | Kriva Reka, upriver of Belmeken-Chaira Cascade | – | – | 1951 | – | ||||||
| Dospat Reservoir | Osinska River, upriver of Batak Cascade | – | – | 1967 | – | ||||||
| Koprinka Reservoir | Tundja River, near Kazanlak | – | – | 1956 | Covers the ancient city of Seuthopolis |
There is also a project for an "Upper Arda Cascade", which has been delayed due to complications. This cascade should include three HPPs at Madan, Ardino and Kitnitsa.