Connecting Europe Facility support for eligible storage upgrades
The European Union is supporting expansions at three gas storage facilities in Romania and Bulgaria. The upgrades are intended to increase both reserves and delivery capacity for regional markets facing supply disruptions and winter demand. Funding under the Connecting Europe Facility will cover 35–50% of eligible project costs.
Bilciurești expansion targets higher withdrawal and working gas volumes
At Romania’s Bilciurești facility, daily withdrawal capacity is planned to rise to 20 million cubic metres from 14 million. Working gas capacity is set to increase by 108 million cubic metres, equivalent to about 9%. These changes are aimed at improving the volume of gas that can be withdrawn during periods of higher demand.
Depomureș first phase increases working capacity and operating rates
The first phase of the Depomureș expansion will add 100 million cubic metres to storage. That increase will bring working capacity to 400 million cubic metres. Injection and withdrawal rates are expected to rise by around 75%, reaching 3.5 million cubic metres per day.
Chiren expansion moves toward higher storage volumes and throughput
Bulgaria’s Chiren facility is being expanded toward 1 billion cubic metres of storage. Injection and withdrawal capacity is expected to reach 8–10 million cubic metres a day. The projects focus not only on storage volume but also on how quickly operators can release gas when demand rises.
Delivery flexibility depends on withdrawal speed and cross-border transport capacity
The upgrades address constraints related to withdrawal speed rather than storage size alone. Faster withdrawals could strengthen supply flexibility across neighbouring markets when demand increases. The ability to translate higher withdrawal rates into regional supply depends on sufficient cross-border transport capacity.
