Bulgaria ranks third in the EU for newly installed battery energy storage capacity, according to a report by the European Solar Association

BRUSSELS – Bulgaria ranks third in the European Union in newly installed battery energy storage capacity in 2025. With a market share of 9 percent, the country comes after Germany and Italy, according to data from the annual report on the EU energy storage market, published by the European solar association (SolarPower Europe), the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity reported.

From about 200 MWh of installed capacity in 2024, Bulgaria reached nearly 2500 MWh by the end of 2025. Expectations are that already this year the capacity will be increased four to five times, as more than 10,000 MWh of batteries are currently being built in the country, financed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The development in Bulgaria is taking place against the backdrop of a record year for the EU, in which more than 27 gigawatt-hours of new batteries were installed, or 45 percent more compared to the previous year. .

In 2025, the first gigafactory for battery systems in Europe, which received strategic status under the European regulation for net-zero industries, started operating in Bulgaria. This places the country among the few EU member states that simultaneously deploy and manufacture key technologies for the energy transition, the Association for Production, Storage and Trading of Electricity notes.

For countries like Bulgaria, the energy transition is above all an economic issue, not an abstract climate goal. This makes industry more competitive, attracts investment and retains jobs, said Nikola Gazdov, chairman of the association.

Solar energy is already a key factor in the country’s energy mix. In the warm months, between March and September, it provides up to and over 70 percent of electricity consumption during daylight hours. (30.01.2026)