Bulgarian Energy Watchdog Announces Electric Price Hike

The Head of Bulgaria's energy watchdog, Angel Semerdzhiev, says electric power prices are going up on the request of the power utilities. Photo by BGNES

The average price increase of electric power in Bulgaria for household consumers is going up by 1% effective July 1, 2011.

The night fees, which have been lower than the day rates, are, however, going up by 10%.

The information was reported Wednesday during a round table dedicated to discussing the new prices of electric power. It was organized by the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, DKEVR.

The DKEVR Head, Angel Semerdzhiev, explained the prices are going up on the request of the power utilities E.ON and EVN, pointing out the principle to have lower rates for electricity used overnight will remain.

"The overnight increase would be an average of 10%, but the day rates are going down. The electric power prices for the industry and for small and medium businesses would be by several percentage points higher than the one for household consumers," Semerdzhiev said.

Several reports on the way electricity prices are formed – from the production, transfer and delivery of electric power to end consumers, were presented during the round table. Ivanka Dilova, Chair of the Managing Board of the Institute for Energy Management, pointed out the price of energy, produced by combined power plants, was alarmingly high.

She was supported by representatives of the civil association DNES (Today), who demanded a reasonable threshold in the encouragement of production of green energy and energy by combined methods. An expert of the association stressed otherwise there are concealed subsidies for utilities working at a loss, such as Sofia's heating utility.

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