Bulgaria energy report

• Bulgaria's electricity and gas market liberalisation remains limited.
• Since 2011, Bulgaria has multiplied disincentives for renewables.
• Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) accounts for around 55% of power generation, 90% of wholesale gas sales and more than 90% of lignite mining.
• Electricity distribution is ensured by 3 foreign companies.
• CO₂-free sources accounted for 52% of power generation in 2019. Russia is the main gas supplier, with a declining market share.
• Electricity and gas prices for households are more than 40% below the EU average.
• Total energy consumption has been rather stable since 2014.
• Bulgaria has revived its Belene nuclear project.
• Many regional gas interconnection projects are under development, as Bulgaria aims to become a regional gas hub.

• Institutions & Energy Policy

  The Ministry of Energy oversees the country's energy policy.

  The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) regulates the energy sector, including some energy prices (gas, electricity, water and district heating). It also approves the construction of gas and oil pipelines.

  Its independence was strengthened by an amendment to the Bulgarian Energy Law in March 2015.

• Energy Companies

  Oil:

  Lukoil operates the sole refinery in the country, the Burgas refinery (available capacity of 7 Mt/year, plus 2.8 Mt/year not used), which produced 6.8 Mt of oil products in 2019. The group is considering selling the refinery.

• Energy Supply

  Gas:

  Natural gas production is negligible (less than 100 mcm) and accounts for only 3% of the domestic supply (2019).

  Imports have dipped by 5%/year since 2017 to 2.9 bcm in 2019 (stable in 2020 according to preliminary estimates).

• Energy Prices

  Oil:

  Motor fuel prices are following global trends, firming up between 2016 and 2018, and falling in 2020 (-14% and -17%, respectively). Prices soared between 2000 and 2006 (+75% for gasoline and doubling for diesel). Prices for gasoline and diesel are very close and around 20% lower than the EU average.

  Graph: GASOLINE & DIESEL PRICES (€/l)

• Energy Consumption

  Consumption per capita is 2.7 toe (13% lower than the EU average in 2019), with electricity accounting for about 4 400 kWh in 2019 (20% below the EU average).

  Total energy consumption has been rather stable since 2014 (18.5 Mt in 2019). It had contracted by 2.7%/year between 2006 and 2013.

• Issues & Prospects

  Oil:

  In 2015, Bulgaria opened new tenders for offshore oil and gas exploration, offering five-year exploration licences for the Silistar 1-14 and Teres 1-22 offshore blocks in the Black Sea. Shell won the Silistar block in 2015 (renamed Han Kubrat in 2017) and transferred 30% of the exploration rights to Woodside in 2018 and another 20% to Repsol in 2019.

• GENERAL OVERVIEW
• INSTITUTIONS AND ENERGY POLICY
• ENERGY COMPANIES
• ENERGY SUPPLY
• ENERGY PRICES
• ENERGY CONSUMPTION
• ISSUES AND PROSPECTS
• DATA TABLES
• ABBREVIATIONS
• GLOSSARY

Download the Table of Contents

Below is a list of the Bulgaria energy market report graphs:

• GRAPH 1: CO₂-energy emissions (MtCO₂)
• GRAPH 2: Installed electric capacity by source (2019, %)
• GRAPH 3: Gross power production by source (TWh)
• GRAPH 4: Power generation by source (2019, %)
• GRAPH 5: Gasoline & diesel prices (€/l)
• GRAPH 6: Electricity prices for industry and households (€c/kWh)
• GRAPH 7: Gas prices for industry and households (€c/kWh GCV)
• GRAPH 8: Consumption trends by energy source (Mtoe)
• GRAPH 9: Total consumption market share by energy 2019, %)
• GRAPH 10: Final consumption market share by sector (2019, %)
• GRAPH 11: Oil consumption (Mt)
• GRAPH 12: Oil consumption breakdown by sector (2019, %)
• GRAPH 13: Electricity consumption (TWh)
• GRAPH 14: Electricity consumption breakdown by sector (2019, %)
• GRAPH 15: Natural gas consumption (bcm)
• GRAPH 16: Gas consumption breakdown by sector (2019, %)
• GRAPH 17: Coal consumption (Mt)
• GRAPH 18: Coal consumption breakdown by sector (2019, %)

In the Bulgaria energy market report you will find the following tables:

• Economic Indicators: Annual historical data including population, GDP growth, imports and exports, inflation rate, energy security and efficiency indicators, CO₂ emissions.
• Supply Indicators: Historical data including oil and gas reserves, electric and refining capacity, energy production, power production and external trade. All are detailed by energy source.
• Demand Indicators: Historical data including consumption per inhabitant, consumption trends, total consumption by energy source, final consumption by energy source and sector, and electricity consumption by sector.
• Energy Balances: Single table displaying the overall energy industry balance per annum, also graphically displayed by energy sub-segment.
• Infrastructure Projects: Covers power plant projects by energy, technology, status and operator.

The Bulgaria country dashboards are complemented with country forecasts from EnerFuture (excel file) with scenario comparison.

Data included in the excelsheet:

• Demand: Primary energy consumption, final energy consumption, by fuel, by sector.
• Power: Electricity generation & capacities, by technology.
• CO₂: Total CO₂ emissions.
• Macro-economy: Main macro-economic assumptions.
• Key indicators: Energy intensity, share of renewables, CO₂ emissions per capita and per unit of GDP.