Yulian Popov: The unification of the energy markets of Bulgaria and Greece is not a reason for high electricity prices

It is not true that the unification of the energy markets of Bulgaria and Greece in the segment "Day Ahead" has led to an increase in electricity prices in our country. This was stated on social networks by Yulian Popov, senior adviser of the European Climate Foundation and former caretaker Minister of Environment and Water. "There has been a lot of talk about how the market coupling with Greece, which took place on May 11 this year, has led to high electricity prices. Not true. At least a year before the market unification, the prices in Greece and Bulgaria are very similar, and before that similar curves follow ", the expert commented referring to historical data on the movement of prices on the energy exchanges in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania.

"An active cross-border electricity market has existed for a long time. The market merger is a trade facilitation and the introduction of another level of transparency in the electricity market. That is - a good thing, "added Popov.

According to him, in the medium and long term the market union will help for some control of prices and their relative taming. "Elsewhere are the problems of Bulgarian energy," said the specialist.

The market union with Greece in the spring was the first this year. By the end of October, the market merger with Romania in the Day Ahead segment is expected to take place. This will give our country the opportunity to trade electricity with the whole of Europe if there is enough capacity at the borders. This was recently explained to BNR by the executive director of the Electricity System Operator Angelin Tsachev. Tests on the unification project will start on September 20, and the connection of the markets is technically expected to take place between October 26 and October 29, explained the director of ESO. Then, with sufficient capacity at the borders, our country will be able to trade electricity with virtually the whole of Europe.

Tsachev is also adamant that the unification with the Greek market is not a reason for the rise in electricity on the free market in our country.