Kozloduy NPP, NEC and TPP Maritsa East 2 will offer special exchange products for big business

State energy producers will offer special products suitable for planning the work of large energy consumers business. This was said by the Minister of Energy Andrey Zhivkov during a briefing at the Ministry of Energy. One of the measures that will be taken immediately to calm prices is that the state-owned Kozloduy NPP and Maritsa East 2 TPP will start offering energy through the IBEX, especially for energy-intensive productions, it became clear from the words of Minister Zhivkov.

"We are watching the prices with extreme concern, it is important for the Bulgarian industry to remain operational, not to cause bankruptcies or shocks in the economy, because these are things that will be reflected throughout the country," Zhivkov added. The meeting was attended not only by business representatives, but also by energy traders, EWRC, trade unions, BEH and representatives of the energy exchange.

As of July 1, the whole business is on the free market and the movement of prices is currently having a serious impact on all industrial consumers. We held a meeting with energy-intensive enterprises and some employers' organizations, he said.

"The situation is really dramatic. Energy prices are already in shock, and winter has not yet come. We are talking about several hundred million euros that businesses have to earn to pay this price. This is not due to a physical shortage. Carbon prices have risen, there is a rise in the price of natural gas Alternative fuels - natural gas and coal, which can calm the markets, are expensive or in short supply, for one reason or another, all of which will make it difficult for us to get out of the crisis The cabinet's task is to find a solution at least by March. The system is not facing a physical shortage, but there is panic in the markets - it is all over the EU and is spreading to our market. Both the administration and we finding a common solution, observing the European rules ", explained at the beginning of the briefing Konstantin Stamenov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers and (BFIEC).

The Minister of Energy pointed out that since the beginning of September the price levels in Bulgaria have been moving towards the bottom, compared to the European stock exchange levels. This means that we currently have some of the lowest prices, but against the background of the jump in the market, this does not reassure us, said Zhivkov.

He reminded that at the moment there is no shortage of electricity in our country, all possible units of TPP "Maritsa East 2" are working. There are currently two blocks there that are under repair, but soon they will be put into parallel. "Thanks to this, we are at the bottom of the prices, but this does not reassure us, because even at the bottom the prices are high," Zhivkov commented.

He said that short-term solutions are being sought so that Bulgarian business can cope with the price period. There are also long-term measures, which, however, cannot be implemented by the caretaker government.

"The business has received various proposals, which we will now analyze as soon as possible to see if there are any short-term solutions to help Bulgarian businesses cope with the price shock that comes from electricity. Among these proposals, there are also medium and long-term measures that we are not able to implement as a caretaker government, but we will certainly start taking steps to implement them in the future. The discussion was very useful for us as well. I want to say that we It is important for us that the Bulgarian industry remains operational and competitive in its markets and at the same time not to cause bankruptcies or any shocks in the Bulgarian economy. Next week we will have another meeting, including the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy in the talks, "Andrey Zhivkov added.

According to him, the measures are the most diverse, among them there is a revision of some rules for the operation of the stock exchange, as well as the option to support energy-intensive production in terms of the value of emissions, in compliance with European rules.

From the exported data it became clear that currently exports to Bulgaria are very high. Consumption in the country is around 4000 MW, and exports are around 2000 MW. The Minister of Energy answered a question whether he could limit the export of electricity. "There is an option, but we are not in these hypotheses. The options are in case of shortage or threat to the electricity system. These hypotheses are not applicable at the moment," Zhivkov explained.