March 12 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's regional development ministry said on Monday it has approved a plan for the construction of the Bulgarian section of a new overhead transmission line linking Maritsa East substation, in the country's southwest, with the Nea Santa substation in Greece.
"The construction of the transmission line will contribute to increasing the transmission capabilities of the energy system in the region, as well as improving security of electricity exchange between the two countries," the regional development ministry in Sofia said in a statement.
The interconnection Maritsa East - Nea Santa is part of Energy Priority Corridor 3. According to data from the European Commission, the project envisages the construction of a new AC 400kV single-circuit interconnector of approximately 151 km with transfer capacity of 1500MVA.
"The aim is to reinforce the existing 400kV regional grid, further increase cross-border exchanges and accommodate the expected future renewable energy generation in northeast Greece, as well as in the northeast and southern regions of Bulgaria," the Commission said in the project summary.