Bulgarian Energy Watchdog Announces Heating Price Hike

Heating prices in Bulgaria will go up on April 1, the country's energy watchdog announced. File photo by BGNES

Heating prices in Bulgaria will go up on April 1 over the increase of fuel prices on global markets, the Head of the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, DKEVR, Angel Semerdzhiev, announced Tuesday.

Semerdzhiev stressed that these prices have reached their highest levels since 2008.

The watchdog is, however, firm that the recently halted export of electric power, over the polar cold that had gripped the country and increased consumption, would not have any direct effect on prices of electricity, but the complicated winter situation would have an indirect effect on bills after all.

The DKEVR Head further stressed that there are definitely no grounds for a 27% price hike of natural gas, as proposed by the State supplier Bulgargaz, adding the fact there is a watchdog is a guarantee that it would not happen all while the final proposal is not due until March.

According to Semerdzhiev, the reasons of Bulgargaz to increase prices, such as the need to purchase more volumes over reduced reserves cannot be a factor since there is winter in Bulgaria every year and the company had always found reserves.

He pointed out the in comparison with 2010, the 2011 financial state of Bulgargaz had improved and the trend is to persist.

The DKEVR Head explained that the increase will be within the normal as in previous years, but declined giving any concrete parameters.

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