Friday, 23 October 2026
Bulgaria is experiencing a substantial increase in proposed data centre developments, with requests for electricity grid connections reaching 9,330 MW by early August 2026. According to figures attributed to the country’s Electricity System Operator (ESO), the requested capacity exceeds Bulgaria’s peak winter electricity consumption of approximately 7,000 MW. The scale of these applications illustrates growing interest in the country’s digital infrastructure market, although it remains uncertain how many projects will proceed to construction.
Of the total requested capacity, ESO has issued preliminary assessments of connection conditions for approximately 3,795 MW, while a further 5,535 MW remains at an earlier stage of development. Applications are concentrated in several regional markets, with Plovdiv accounting for approximately 2.26 GW, Burgas for 1.86 GW and Pleven for 1.14 GW. These figures represent potential electricity requirements rather than confirmed operational demand, and some applications may not result in completed facilities.
One of the largest announced developments is a proposed artificial intelligence computing campus associated with German company Brinell Compute. In January 2026, Bulgaria’s government signed a memorandum of understanding concerning a project in the Rakovski Industrial Zone, north of Plovdiv. The proposed development covers approximately 809 hectares and has been associated with an investment estimate of €3 billion. Construction was initially expected to begin during autumn 2026, although the announcement does not establish whether building work has commenced or whether all necessary permits and electricity connections have been secured.
Bulgaria is also participating in European programmes intended to expand computing capacity for artificial intelligence research and commercial applications. The BRAIN++ project at Sofia Tech Park forms part of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking’s AI Factory initiative. Its reported budget is €90 million, with the Bulgarian government committed to providing half of the funding. Such projects contribute to the development of the country’s computing infrastructure, but their electricity requirements and operational arrangements differ from those of privately financed data centre campuses.
Access to electricity is likely to determine the pace at which proposed facilities can be developed. Large consumers must obtain connection conditions from ESO, with the resulting opinions generally remaining valid for one year. Developers must therefore coordinate land acquisition, construction planning, financing and electricity supply agreements within the relevant approval periods. The volume of requested capacity has also raised questions about whether some applications represent speculative proposals rather than projects supported by financing and construction commitments.
Environmental and operational requirements are becoming more detailed under European legislation. Bulgaria introduced reporting obligations for qualifying data centres through amendments to its Energy Efficiency Act in June 2025. Facilities with installed information technology power demand of at least 500 kW must provide annual information covering electricity consumption, water use, waste heat and other operating indicators. The European Commission has also proposed a classification system that would assess data centres according to their energy and water efficiency. As of October 2026, that classification framework remains subject to the applicable EU scrutiny process.
Cybersecurity and investment regulation will also influence the sector’s development. Bulgaria amended its Cybersecurity Act in February 2026 to incorporate requirements associated with the EU’s NIS 2 Directive. Data centre operators falling within the relevant categories must introduce security controls and procedures for reporting significant incidents. Separately, Bulgaria’s foreign investment screening framework may require approval for certain investments involving non-EU capital, particularly where projects concern critical infrastructure or sensitive technologies. These requirements add to the legal and administrative considerations facing international developers.
Further regulatory changes are under consideration at European level, including proposals intended to simplify permitting for data centres and establish designated development areas. Such measures could affect future investment decisions, but they would not resolve existing electricity network constraints without corresponding infrastructure improvements. For Bulgaria, the principal challenge will be converting the current volume of development proposals into financed and operational facilities while maintaining electricity system reliability. The 9.3 GW application pipeline demonstrates the scale of investor interest, but it should not be interpreted as evidence that an equivalent amount of data centre capacity will be constructed.
Source: CMS
