Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Japan's Toshiba to help restore Chaira power station

Photo: me.government.bg

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation will assist Bulgaria in bringing the Chaira power plant back into operation as soon as possible. The news was announced after the visit of the Bulgarian Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, to Tokyo.


The Chaira pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Rila, below the Belmeken dam, is the largest underground power station in south-east Europe, with four reversible pump turbines. However, it has been out of operation since 2022 due to its out-of-service turbines. 


Toshiba is the manufacturer and supplier of the plant's equipment and the owner of the technical and manufacturing documentation for the project. This made it imperative to award the repair work to this manufacturer, the Energy Ministry said. 


During Malinov's visit, it also became clear that Hitachi is interested in participating in the development of Bulgaria's power grid and is ready to share its experience in building transformers and small modular reactors.


The year 2024 marks 115 years since the first official contacts between Bulgaria and Japan and 85 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Ivelin Mihaylov

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission probes 'Velichie' party in major property fraud case

Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating a large-scale property fraud and money laundering scheme connected to the 'Historical Park', which is associated with Ivelin Mihaylov, the leader of the Velichie party. Those arrested include the..

published on 11/26/25 2:30 PM
Boyko Borissov

Borissov cites EU defence adjustment to claim a 2026 deficit of 2.7%

The ruling party and the opposition argued about the procedure for the Budget Committee meeting before the final vote on the 2006 budget .  Assen Vassilev, chairman of the We Continue the Change party, attempted to block the committee’s extraordinary..

published on 11/26/25 2:15 PM

Agriculture and forestry workers protest for higher salaries

Employees in the agriculture and forestry sector staged a protest in front of the Parliament, demanding higher salaries for workers in departments that are secondary budget administrators. The protest was organized by the National Federation of..

published on 11/26/25 12:34 PM