Electricity market

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.

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. 

German power exchange EEX and Bulgarian peer IBEX have signed a cooperation deal to introduce Bulgarian electricity futures in first half 2019 as the market-leading EEX bourse pushes further east, reports Reuters. 

Listed fuel industry Motor Oil has secured an entry into the electricity market via the acquisition of a 90 percent stake in NRG, it was announced on Thursday.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced on Thursday the signing of agreements to obtain a 20 percent stake in the Hellenic Energy Exchange.

The rich nations of the European Union (EU) pay less for wholesale electricity than the poorer southern states. The cheapest electricity is in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany. It is most expensive in Italy, Greece and Portugal. Bulgaria is in the middle ground but pays more than the leading countries as well as the rapidly developing Baltic states of the EU.

The Greek wholesale electricity market is Europe's second most expensive, according to a report by the European Commission's Directorate General for Energy on the last quarter of 2017.

China will launch its first real-time spot electricity markets in eight regions, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on April 20, as Beijing accelerates efforts to liberalize power prices currently set by the government.

Until 1 April, when is the end of the heating season, heating and electricity prices will not be increased. This was assured by the Chairman of the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (KEVR) Assoc. Prof. Ivan Ivanov in an interview with BTA.