By the end of January, BEH must prepare its proposals for Unit VII of Kozloduy NPP

"In March, there was no serious decline in the production and consumption of electricity. Many of the plants that use natural gas have reduced their production. Bulgargaz has taken appropriate measures in response to the situation," the Energy Minister Temenizhka Petkova said to the Bulgarian National Television.

The crisis has changed the agenda of the whole world and it is normal for business to experience difficulties, the minister explained. She said that there was no decrease in electricity consumption in our country during the first wave of coronavirus in the spring. However, this was not the case with natural gas and consumption shrank. Bulgargaz has taken the appropriate measures, Petkova reassured.

The inspection of the Ministry of Energy in Toplofikacia Sofia regarding the bills for the previous heating season did not show any violation. The minister said he welcomed the company's efforts to simplify the bills to make them understandable and said the problem with them was communication. The results of the EWRC inspection are to be presented to the National Assembly.

Anyone who uses natural gas can see the reduction in their bill. If we had not renegotiated the formula, we would have paid 324 million more, "she added.

"Energy efficiency is one of the priorities. BGN 3 billion have been set aside for this sector. We are talking not only about residential buildings, we are also talking about industrial buildings. This is support for Bulgarian business.

Coal-fired power plants are an important topic. What the Prime Minister defends at all councils is that the transition be smooth, fair and consistent. For us, coal-fired power plants are the main power. We must walk this path of transition smoothly without any risks to our energy efficiency," Petkova said.

"The United States is our strategic partner. In the last 5 years, a serious step forward has been made, namely the diversification of various resources. We have made extremely serious progress in this direction. I explained to Balkan Stream what the main differences are in our project.

This is a project entirely in Bulgaria, implemented by Bulgartransgaz, there is no possibility for the influence of any other country. This project will bring revenue to Bulgaria. This can only happen if we have the necessary infrastructure to supply gas from different routes. This project is implemented entirely according to European rules. We have complied with every requirement. If it were not so, we would have received feedback from our colleagues from Brussels a long time ago," she added.

"By the end of January, the Bulgarian energy holding must be ready with a project for Unit 7 of the Kozloduy NPP," the minister said.

"The elections are coming and going. We as statesmen must work in the interests of Bulgarian citizens. Our government is working in the interests of Bulgaria," she added, referring to the US presidential election.