It also makes Bulgaria a part of the energy supply chain, enhancing its regional influence. Stankov’s ministry announced the move towards storage in April 2025, shortly after he took over the portfolio. For decades that plant was indicative of how Bulgaria stored power, but the batteries are now filling the gap it left. Evangelos Gazis of Aurora Energy Research, a consultancy, told Capital in July that “batteries are starting to change the way the power system behaves.” Longer-term, it wants to re-open closed coal-fired power plants, risking EU opprobrium and placing the status of funding for its energy transition in jeopardy.