In 2022, In Bulgaria was observed extremely high electricity production equal to 50.4 TWh. The generation structure was dominated by coal-fired thermal power plants, followed by the Kozloduy nuclear power plant and hydroelectric plants, with the percentage distribution by plant type shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Generation by type of technology in Bulgaria in 2022.
In 2022, the amount of electricity produced increased by 5.7% compared to the previous year. This growth comes from the increase in electricity by thermal power plants and renewable energy sources. Among RES, the biggest increase was in PV, generating 33% more electricity than in 2021. The reasons are an increase in the installed capacities of PV and more sunshine hours in 2022. In 2022, the export of electricity is at record levels of 12.2 TWh, which is an increase of 39% compared to the previous year, ranking Bulgaria in third place among the largest exporters of electricity in the European Union.
The electricity production capacities ensure the consumption in the country and enable the export. At the moment, the installed power generation capacity in Bulgaria is 13,247 MW, and the available capacity is 10,771 MW.
Figure 2. Installed capacities in Bulgaria by type of technology. The total installed capacity in the country being 13.2 GW
Given the high generation in 2022, the consumption in the country is at lower levels compared to the previous year. The decrease is 1.8%, with the main factors for this being the mild autumn and winter months in 2022 and a decrease in consumption due to high electricity prices. Figure 3 shows that the changes in consumption over the last 10 years vary within narrow range of less than 3 TWh. 2017 was a record year in the considered period with consumption reaching 39.14 TWh. 2017 had an extremely cold winter, which contributed to the high consumption values in the country.
Figure 3. Electricity consumption in Bulgaria for the last 10 years
Source: Strategic vision for the development of the electricity sector, ESO
