By order of the Minister of Energy Nikolay Pavlov, the ban on export of electricity originating in Bulgaria shall be removed. The change will take effect as of 01:00 hours Bulgarian time (00:00 CET), 9th February, 2017.
The order of Minister Pavlov is with regard to a letter by the Electricity System Operator. It points out that the reserves necessary for the proper operation of the electricity system of the Republic of Bulgaria are recovered and are ready to meet the short-term growth in electricity consumption.
In accordance with the new conditions, the Electricity System Operator restores the access to the power transmission network by exporters of electrical power produced in the country.
The ban on electrical power export from the country was introduced as of 01:00 hours, 13thJanuary, 2017 by order of the former energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova. The restriction was applied due to the ongoing extremely low temperatures, which resulted in a serious imbalance between supply and demand of electricity at regional level, claimed Mrs. Petkova.
The export ban as well as the withdrawal of electricity from the Independent Bulgarian energy exchange had a negative effect on the energy market and the energy sector as a whole. This raise the interest of the European commission for the situation in Bulgaria, because according to the internationally accepted principles for operation of interconnected networks, measures such as an export ban should be based on realistic and serious limitations, which directly threaten the electricity system. Such measures should be applied only as a last resort measures and could not be used to optimize the financial status of specific market participants including the Electricity system operator or the public supplier.
Source: Ministry of energy