In an interview with Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Vasimir Radulov, a co-founder and member of the Balkan Hydrogen Cluster (BHC) said that hydrogen is not a passing fad, it is the future. Radulov, an economist by education who has been dealing with the topic of hydrogen for more than five years, founded the BHC two years ago together with like-minded people.
The BHC has over 45 completed projects in Bulgaria, including schools, hospitals, kindergartens, nurseries, administrative buildings, greenhouses, factories, workshops, and others. The members of the cluster are Bulgarian manufacturing companies, municipalities, state enterprises, and international organizations.
Radulov is also a member of the Management Board of the National Chamber for Mineral Water Management in Bulgaria and a member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian-Saudi Chamber of Commerce, which was officially established on June 29 in the capital.
“Our strategy as a cluster in hydrogen technologies is fully harmonized and in sync with the European hydrogen development strategy,” said Radulov.
The members of the BHC include municipalities, state enterprises, entrepreneurs, and financial partners. “We have signed numerous partnerships, among which with the National Chamber for Mineral Water Management, various higher education institutions, universities, and other key partners. We also signed numerous memorandums in the field of hydrogen with partners in Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Ireland, and Poland. With its approach, BHC is a natural monopolist in this area for the region,” said Radulov.
The biggest project for the BHC so far has been a factory in Türkiye, and the Turkish Minister of Energy attended the official opening ceremony, which was a worthy attestation of the importance of BHC know-how, said Radulov.
He also mentioned a hydrogen valley project, called the “Valley of the Future,” implemented jointly with the Municipality of Chelopech, which will supply all public buildings and utilities with green hydrogen, and Chelopech will become the first green municipality in southeastern Europe. “We are at the technical design stage, and the goal of the valley is to produce 100% green hydrogen, and the surrounding municipalities will also be able to be powered by the valley,” explained the BHC co-founder.
Cyber security is an integral part of energy because its structure must be protected as much as possible, Radulov added, explaining that all hydropower plants, thermal power plants, as well as future hydrogen valleys will be part of Bulgaria’s national security. Most of the processes in energy production are being digitized, and cyber security has a huge role to play in these projects. The security of hydrogen energy transfer is very important, he noted.
Source: Saudi Press Agency