GREAT Mega Mission 2015 in Bulgaria
UK delegates discuss business opportunities with Bulgarian companies, government officials and trade associations, from 11 to 12 March.
Chargé d’Affaires Sarah Riley addresses the plenary session
Today, 11 March, the GREAT Mega Mission 2015 started in Sofia. The 2-day event brings together 50 top British companies, 200 Bulgarian delegates, government officials, local trade bodies and experts.
Bulgarian President H.E. Rosen Plevneliev and Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policies Tomislav Donchev have opened the event.
The large British trade delegation is formed by companies in 4 strategic sectors:
- nuclear
- oil and gas
- mass transport
- water and environment
Bulgaria has been prioritised as a destination in these 4 sectors as of the scale of the opportunity it offers:
-
in nuclear energy, nearly €500 million in decommissioning work is currently being tendered on reactors 1 to 4 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Lifetime extension work on reactors 5 and 6 (worth a further €346-416 million) will be tendered later this year
-
in oil and gas, Bulgaria will invest €554 million in upgrading its gas transit infrastructure, including the interconnectors and storage required to capitalise on gas from the Southern Corridor
-
in transport infrastructure, over €700 million of Bulgaria’s allocation of EU funding between 2014 and 2020 will be available for priority railway projects. High-value road building/upgrade opportunities exist too, including the Struma Highway Lot 3 project worth €325 million
-
in water and environment, €2 billion will be invested through to 2020 in a wide range of different water projects
The comprehensive GREAT Mega Mission programme includes:
-
plenary sessions with keynote speakers
-
thematic roundtable discussions
-
one-to-one meetings between UK delegates and BG companies
-
business network sessions
-
attendance of sector specific local events
The British participants include world leaders like: AMEC Foster Wheeler, Lloyd’s Register, Mott MacDonald, Nuvia, CMS Cameron McKenna, Global Pipe Components, Atkins Global and Metasphere.
Sarah Riley, Chargé d’Affaires, British Embassy Sofia, commented on the GREAT Mega Mission:
I am delighted to welcome so many British companies interested in the strategic infrastructure projects in the region.
The UK considers Central and Eastern Europe to be a key region for commercial partnerships. At the same time, with the CEE region benefitting from over € 180 billion of EU funding for the period 2014-2020, Bulgaria sends a very clear message that it has plenty to offer.
About GREAT Mega Mission
The GREAT Mega Mission 2015 is a 4-day initiative that started in Bucharest on 9 and 10 March and continues to Sofia on 11 and 12 March.
It is the largest visit of its kind to Bulgaria and Romania and is part of UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) efforts to double UK trade with Central and Eastern Europe by 2020.
Contacts
For more information about the GREAT Mega Mission 2015 please contact the local UKTI team.