The state is starting to plan in which areas to build RES plants as a matter of priority

The Parliament adopted in the second reading changes to the Law on Energy from Renewable Sources. The amendments provide for the Minister of Environment and Water, together with the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, the Minister of Transport and Communications and the Minister of Agriculture and Food to develop a Plan for determining priority areas for the development of sites for the production of electrical energy from wind energy.

The Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (EWRC) sets preferential prices for the purchase of electrical energy from renewable sources (RES), produced by energy facilities with a total installed capacity of up to 30 kW inclusive, which are planned to be built on roof and facade structures of connected to the electricity distribution network buildings and on real estate to them in urbanized territories, the deputies wrote. Until now, EWRC set preferential prices for the purchase of electrical energy from RES, produced by energy facilities with a total installed capacity of less than 500 kW, Dir.bg reports.

A tacit consent is also introduced for the issuance of a building permit for the installation of installations for the production of electricity and thermal energy from solar energy for own consumption with a total installed community of 20 to 50 kW in buildings in the urbanized territories, including on roofs and facade structures and their adjoining landed properties.

The end customer can become a user of his own electricity from renewable sources. It will be able to produce, store, consume and sell excess amounts of produced energy, the MPs agreed. It also creates an opportunity for end customers, including residential customers, to participate in a renewable energy community that will also be able to sell excess energy.

It is planned to ease the joining procedures for producers of electric energy from RES with a total installed capacity of up to 1 megawatt, and the deadlines for conducting a study and issuing an opinion on the terms and method of joining have been reduced. It is envisaged that the period of the procedures for joining an energy object from the submission of the request for this to the conclusion of the contract for joining will be six months.

New biofuels

From September 1, 2024, the new generation biofuel from type "A" raw materials in diesel engine fuels is increased, and from March 1, 2025, an obligation for the content of new generation biofuel from type "A" raw materials in the fuels for gasoline engines, the parliament also adopted.

With the amendments to the Law on Energy from Renewable Sources, the deputies also changed other laws. One of them is the Energy Act, in which amendments related to premiums for producers of electricity from renewable sources were adopted.

Provisions to amend the Transport Consumer Reimbursement Act were rejected. The changes were related to the terms for determining and making contributions to the Electricity System Security Fund. The chairman of the parliamentary committee on energy, Delyan Dobrev (GERB-SDS), explained that they had a dispute as to whether the changes did not contain retroactive texts, and added that they would be specified.