November 16 (SeeNews) - Shell Bulgaria plans to install 64 electric vehicle charging points at 16 service stations in the country in the next two years, trade director Nikolay Bogdanov told SeeNews.
The company will partly finance the project with funding from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and is currently working on signing a framework agreement, Bogdanov told SeeNews on the sidelines of a business event organised by the British Bulgarian Business Association.
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Shell Bulgaria will look into working with local companies on the installation of the charging points, both on the hardware and software end, Bogdanov said. He added that funding will be provided for both installation and grid upgrades required to support the charge stations.
"Grid capacity is probably the main challenge to widening the EV charging network. Consumer demand is also a factor in driving more investment into EV chargepoint installation," Bogdanov said. He revealed that the amount of investment required to connect EV points to the grid at some sites in Bulgaria increases project costs to a point where it becomes commercially non-viable.
Currently, the fuel retailer, part of UK oil and gas major Shell, has operational EV charging points at 18 of its service stations, which it has developed in partnership with Bulgarian company Eldrive since 2017.
Shell Bulgaria's sustainability targets also involve plans for eventually equipping all its service stations with rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The existing solar panels at 13 stations replace around 18% of consumed energy with green power. Plans are underway to install panels at ten more stations in the first quarter of 2024, then at another ten in the third quarter of next year, Bogdanov went on to say.
Currently, all electricity used by Shell Bulgaria is green, which is ensured by guarantees of origin, Bogdanov noted.
By 2025, Shell aims to operate over 500,000 charge points worldwide, the London-based company has said. It has developed the Shell Recharge network and app for drivers in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America.