Thus, from about 200 MWh of installed capacity in 2024, by the end of last year it reached nearly 2500 MWh. It is expected to increase four to five times this year, with over 10,000 MWh of batteries currently being built in the country, financed by the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan (NRSP).

The development in Bulgaria is taking place against the backdrop of a record year for the EU, in which over 27 gigawatt hours of new batteries were installed, or 45% more than in the previous year. Bulgaria ranks third after Germany and Italy, with a 9% market share in 2025.

In 2025, our country marked another strategic achievement – Europe’s first gigafactory for battery systems began operating in Bulgaria, receiving strategic status under the European regulation for zero-emission industries. This places us among the few countries in the EU that are simultaneously implementing and producing key technologies for the energy transition.

According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Water, Bulgaria does not have the infrastructure to recycle these technologies, and the product fee is punitive in nature, with no connection to actual future costs. This creates a paradox in which businesses pay high fees today, with no guarantee of actual recycling in 15 – 30 years and no mechanism for accountability and control.