Are we in for a lack of central heating and power mode in the winter?

In the last year, the pressure of rising prices on natural gas consumers has been extremely great. This is not the only problem. The termination of the contract with the Russian supplier not only led to a huge supply uncertainty and the provision of sufficient quantities for the winter season, but also further increased the price of natural gas.

Among the big victims are heating systems, for which natural gas is the main fuel. There are also plants that are still pouring millions into switching to natural gas in an effort to ensure greener energy production. Several district heating companies have already announced that they are close to decapitalization due to the inability to pay for the necessary natural gas at the new prices.

If it comes to bankruptcies, the heating season in many Bulgarian cities will be compromised and hundreds of thousands of households, establishments and industries will be left without heating during the heating season, and unfortunately all alternatives require a significant initial investment, which is beyond the financial capabilities of everyone.

"Let's imagine that tens of thousands of households in Bulgaria will lose the opportunity to heat themselves through the cheapest possible option, namely through central heating. Probably most will choose to heat with air conditioners because it is the cleanest. But do you realize what load on the power grid we will cause in this way? The network we operate with is not designed for such a load," said the executive director of Burgas District Heating, engineer Hristin Iliev. The company operates on natural gas and is affected by the high prices of the blue fuel.

According to the expert, the load on the network will lead to a higher emergency rate and to the current regime in many settlements.

"The current regime will become commonplace if the state allows the failure of heating systems to happen! The electricity system is not prepared for the shutdown of even one company, let alone several at the same time," said engineer Hristin Iliev.

According to the expert, any heating system in itself is an important factor for the energy balance. If bankruptcies occur before alternative energy security options are established, the severe energy crisis will certainly deepen.

It does not really matter whether natural gas is used as the main or auxiliary fuel. All consumers are greatly affected by the price hike.

"Given the increase in the price of all components, energy production is becoming more and more expensive and it is possible that it will soon become a luxury that we will not be able to take advantage of at any time, as we are used to," said Eng. Hristin Iliev.