22.02.2023
MINISTER STOYANOV EXPLAINED THE INVESTMENT INTENTIONS FOR THE OGOSTA DAM
The Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov visited Montana and met with the mayor of the city Zlatko Zhivkov and about 150 people from the local community, before whom he explained the investment intentions to build a floating photovoltaic park on the Ogosta dam.
Minister Stoyanov announced that a well-known German company has expressed in writing investment intentions to build a floating photovoltaic plant in Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian government has recommended the Ogosta dam, as it is the second largest dam in our country and in the Balkans, and its wall needs renovation for BGN 30 million, and also to attract investors to Northwestern Bulgaria, who would create jobs for the local people. He clarified that the Bulgarian state has not made any specific commitments regarding the project.
Stoyanov explained that after the declaration of intentions by the investor, a working group of experts from five ministries - of the economy and industry, of agriculture, of energy, of the environment and water, and of regional development and public works - was created, which came up with an opinion , that changes should be made to four laws in order to have a legal basis for the construction of such floating parks. At the moment, there is no concept of a floating photovoltaic park in Bulgarian legislation, and its introduction can only be made with legal changes adopted by a future National Assembly.
Minister Stoyanov announced that the plan is for the future investor to repair the wall of the Ogosta dam and build the solar park on an area of about eight square kilometers, given that the entire area of the dam is 22 square kilometers. There will be a competition for the concession of the water area and the best investor proposal will be chosen, Stoyanov specified. He announced that the project would not go ahead before an environmental impact assessment was done, before it was clear that it would not interfere with fishing and fish populations in the dam.
