Electric power distribution

According to data from the Electricity System Operator, by February 3, Bulgaria's electricity exports to neighbouring countries increased by 199.72% for a year.

The increase is mainly due to an increase in exports to Turkey. The current energy balance report shows growth in electricity generation by 12%t, while consumption has gone up by nearly 5%.

The European Energy Exchange (EEX) expects to expand power trading in Serbia, Bulgaria and Slovenia this year, having raised power futures volumes in 2018 across Europe by 19 percent, Chief Executive Peter Reitz said, reports Reuters. 

Power rate hikes are now on their way up due to an initiative by the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE), as Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis has again rejected the proposal to that effect by Public Power Corporation.

Measures to stabilise the prices at the free electricity market were discussed at a meeting in the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission on 14th of January, reported the Bulgarian National Television.

''Government has a major priority to provide conditions for Bulgarian industry to be competitive in international markets'', Energy Minister Temenujka Petkova said in the studio of the morning block of BNT.

Energy authorities have been in emergency mode over the last few days to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity and natural gas to Greece, as a prolonged cold spell has shot demand up to record levels and the gas network is operating without reserves, despite the operation of the new depot on Revithoussa island.

Greece's energy production facilities have been operating at full capacity since Tuesday in a bid to cover the spike in demand due to the cold snap that has gripped the country.

At an extraordinary sitting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation employers and syndicates voiced their concern with the situation on the electricity market and the substantial increase in the price of electricity for industrial consumers, reported the Bulgarian National Radio. 

The consumption of electricity on 6th of January increased by 20% compared to the same day in 2018, the electricity distribution company CEZ Bulgaria said on 7th of January, reports BNT. 

Company data shows that last year, the average consumption in Western Bulgaria was 1,525 megawatts, while yesterday it was 1,818 megawatts.

In a market where power companies are increasingly engaging call centers to advertise complex electricity packages over the telephone, consumers need to be cautious when considering switching energy providers, the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE) says.