BGN 1.1 BN SHOULD BE INVESTED IN BULGARIA’S ELECTRICITY GRID BY 2020

“Around BGN 1.1 bn must be invested in the development of Bulgaria’s power grid by 2020,” said yesterday Ivan Yotov, Executive Director of the Electricity System Operator (ESO) during an international conference near Varna, organised by the Bulgarian Atomic Forum. Yotov specified that the electricity grid will need such investments if the Belene NPP is built in our country. ESO must pay BGN 568.5 mln for building the infrastructure of the Belene NPP and 1,300 km of power transmission lines alone. If the power station is not built, ESO will have to invest only BGN 505 mln in the electricity grid. “The funds are needed for problem-free connection of renewable energy sources to the power grid and in order to improve the energy connections with neighbouring countries,” Yotov explained.

Energy consumption in Bulgaria has increased by 4.9% since the beginning of 2011 and, according to ESO’s estimates, should stand at about 37,439 GWh this year. According to its forecasts, 42,090 GWh at the most will be used for electricity consumption in our country in 2020. If we stick to the minimum scenario, electricity consumption in Bulgaria will stand at 36,617 GWh in 10 years.

Over the next five years, 2.175 MW should be decommissioned and 1,132 MW of new capacities put in operation during the same period. The new thermoelectric power plant AES Galabovo, which is expected to be officially commissioned today, though not at full capacity, is part of these