CEZ, the Czech utility company that owns Varna thermal power plant, unveiled plans to build another 920MW gas-fueled unit, the company said in a statement, as quoted by Dnevnik daily.
The news broke on the day when the company got a regulatory nod for the units environmental impact assessment. The new unit, to be built at the site of the plant, would comprise two 300MW gas turbines and a 320MW steam one.
Currently, the plant houses six units of 210MW each, three of which are idle and on standby in case of emergencies.
Recently, CEZ managing director for Bulgaria Lubos Pavlas said that the new generation capacities would go online by 2013. He said that CEZ decided on the construction because of lack of visibility regarding carbon emissions quotas. If Bulgarias greenhouse gas emissions were cut, the company would most likely have to halt three of the existing units. The working regime of the new facility would depend on the quotas.
In related news, CEZ has been in talks with Russian gas giant Gazprom over long-term gas supplies. The agreed quantities would mainly be used for the five new units the company planned to build in Europe.
