Bulgaria Parlt Report Blames NEK Deficits on Deals with AES, ContourGlobal, RES

Valeri Simeonov (2-L), head of the ad hoc parliamentary commitee on the state of Bulgaria's energy sector, presents the report of the commitee in Sofia, 30 July 2015. Photo BGNES

Bulgaria’s long-term contracts for electricity purchases from two local coal-fired plants, owned by US-based AES Corporattion and ContourGlobal, and from renewable energy sources (RES) are at the core of the financial deficits at the National Electricity Company NEK, according to a parliamentary report unveiled on Thursday.

The report of the ad-hoc parliamentary committee set up to evaluate the state of Bulgaria’s energy sector was presented by the chairman of the committee Valeri Simeonov.

Simeonov, a MP from nationalist Patrotic Front formation, said the report was drafted with the help of energy expert Stefan Gamizov.

Simeonov has earlier submitted draft legislation also prepared by Gamizov seeking the cancellation of Bulgaria’s power purchase agreements with the two thermal power plants AES Maritza East 1 and ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3, 3e-news.net noted in its coverage of the news.

According to Simeonov, the power purchases from the two power plants account for 40% of the electricity traded on the regulated market. In addition, the authors of the report claim that the price paid by NEK for the electricity generated at the two plants is high and runs counter to market principles.

While those conclusions could be disputed by other experts, they in fact form a basis for seeking the cancellation of the long-term contracts with AES Maritza East 1 and Contour Global Maritsa East 3, according to 3e-news.net.

 

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