Bulgaria is particularly enthusiastic about establishing hydrogen collaboration with stakeholders from South Africa – and is fully prepared to initiate cooperation “right away”.

Research secondments, doctorate opportunities and joint research activities are on offer from this Balkan State, which is developing a master’s programme in hydrogen technologies in cooperation with its European partners.

Although the Centre of Excellence in Hydrogen Technologies in Stara Zagora (H2START) is newly started, its first laboratories, combining education and hands-on training, are expected to open within a year and a warm welcome is being extended to South African students.

Pleasingly, Bulgaria’s green hydrogen valley in Stara Zagora (ZAHYR Valley) has opted for proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, which is music to South Africa’s ears owing to PEMs’ use of platinum group metals.

The March-launched H2 START aims to boost hydrogen education, research, and industry partnerships and will be equipped to research hydrogen production, storage and transportation.

An industrial and logistics centre on the Balkan Peninsula, Stara Zagora is transitioning away from coal, making it a perfect place to showcase the industrial and socially transformative potential of green hydrogen as a zero- carbon fossil fuels alternative.

Bulgaria is intent on developing the entire hydrogen value chain – from production to local distribution and application.

Interestingly, the ZAHYR Valley is set to be completed by 2028 and will be at the centre of Bulgaria’s hydrogen production, contributing to overall development of the hydrogen economy. Thus, in the next decade, Bulgaria is set to become an export hub for green hydrogen, which would solidify its role in the EU Southeast Hydrogen Corridor.

Meanwhile, H2START is a teaming project between Trakia University – Stara Zagora, the Bulgarian Association for Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage, the Polytechnic University of Turin and the Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies at the National Research Centre of Italy.

Importantly, Bulgaria’s solar power capacity, which has grown over the past three years from 1.2 GW to 4.5 GW, has potential to hit 40 GW amid latent offshore and onshore wind energy opportunities also existing.

The 250 km hydrogen pipeline under feasibility study from Greece to Bulgaria and likely also Romania would provide capacity for large-scale hydrogen demand should it be developed.

Institutionally, Bulgaria’s broad-based developmental and technology framework is providing stimuli for green hydrogen application in industry, transport and energy, complemented by enhancing scientific research, skilling the green hydrogen economy through educational and cross-sectoral collaboration and encouraging international partnerships.

On the educational front, Bulgaria is going to the extent of preparing a “Teach the Teacher” programme to ensure effective implementation of hydrogen curricula from the beginning.

Very generously, it has been made clear that interested schools and universities would be well received and by way of initial contact, has requested that institution names, contact persons and email addresses be made known through the Bulgarian Embassy.

This comprehensive insight has been provided to Engineering News & Mining Weekly by the Bulgarian Ambassador to South Africa, Maria Pavlova, as well as the Bulgarian Hydrogen, Fuel Cells Committee and Energy Storage Association chairperson, Professor Dr Daria Vladikova, who is also professor at the Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, head of the Department of Hydrogen Technologies in the Institute of Sustainable Transition and Growth of Trakia University and co-ordinator of the H2 START project.