SUNOTEC builds Bulgaria’s largest solar power plant
Published by Jessica Casey,
Editor
Energy Global,
The construction of Bulgaria’s largest solar power plant is due to be completed by Spring 2023. The new power plant, south of Sofia will generate green electricity with a capacity of 124 MW peak. The Verila project is being delivered by SUNOTEC, the European market leader in the construction of solar parks.
Since September 2022, up to 90 highly skilled SUNOTEC employees have been working on the construction of a ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Bulgaria. The greatest challenge the developer will face is the nature of the terrain – a hilly site in the Verila mountain range, east of the small town of Dupnitsa, about an hour’s drive south of the capital Sofia.
Valentin Gospodinov, Country Manager for Bulgaria, said: “The location of the solar power plant at an altitude between 700 – 1000 m above sea level, with slopes as steep as 18°, is one of the most adventurous and unique in Europe. The lower temperatures caused by the high altitude contributes to the generation of additional power. However, this also means that we have to adapt the machinery as well as the sequence of implementation to the challenging topography of the site. Therefore, it is utterly important to have highly experienced workers for the implementation.”
With a nominal output of 124 MWp, the Verila solar power plant will make a significant contribution to Bulgaria’s green electricity mix from Spring 2023 onwards. Built by SUNOTEC, the new solar park will generate energy equivalent to 12% of the current total output of all PV plants in the country. This makes it by far the largest single plant in Bulgaria. It is just one of seven projects that SUNOTEC is currently undertaking in the country.
“Like many other countries in the EU, Bulgaria needs to dramatically increase its capacity in the renewable energy sector, especially in light of the current climate and energy crises,” added SUNOTEC Founder and CEO, Kaloyan Velichkov. “We have to provide significant amounts of additional renewable energy in the shortest possible timeframe. This is a mammoth task. We are proud to make a vital contribution by building solar power plants like the one in Verila.”
SUNOTEC is responsible for all aspects of engineering, project management, procurement and construction of the new Bulgarian solar power plant located east of Dupnitsa. This entails 220 230 modules, 4305 t of steel structure and 1125.5 km of cabling. This also includes the provision of skilled labour and the availability of specialized machinery from the company’s own fleet.
“The construction of our solar parks is carried out exclusively by our own permanent workforce,” concluded SUNOTEC CEO, Bernhard Suchland. “Given the exacting standards and the level of expertise required on the construction site, we prefer not to work with subcontractors. On a large scale project as complex as this, it could potentially cause many risks in the implementation timeline, quality and health and safety. Above all, it would not be consistent with our corporate philosophy.”
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Winter 2022 issue
The Winter 2022 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on wind, solar, energy storage, geothermal, and more. This issue also features a regional report on the Australian renewables sector.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/16122022/sunotec-builds-bulgarias-largest-solar-power-plant/
You might also like
Ossian completes essential wind data campaign
A campaign to gather more than two years’ worth of wind data crucial for the development of the Ossian floating offshore wind farm has been completed.