Bulgaria Energy Information

Bulgaria Energy Research

- Bulgaria's Energy & Climate Policy Framework: Bulgaria targets 34% renewables in final energy consumption and a 55% emissions reduction by 2030, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 through expanded nuclear, storage, and efficiency measures.

- Bulgaria's Energy Companies: Bulgaria's energy sector is dominated by state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), overseeing major power generation, gas, and mining assets amid ongoing restructuring and market shifts.

- Bulgaria's Energy Supply & Demand: Bulgaria's energy mix is transitioning towards renewables, with solar and CO₂-free sources growing significantly by 2025. Coal and lignite reliance has halved since 2010, driving down emissions.

- Bulgaria's Energy Use & Price by Sector: Bulgaria's final energy consumption remains stable around 10 Mtoe, dominated by transport and industry. Following a 2021-22 surge, energy prices declined before rebounding in 2025, remaining below EU averages.

- Bulgaria's Issues & Prospects: Bulgaria is expanding its energy sector by accelerating the Kozloduy-7 nuclear project, developing renewables and storage, and enhancing regional gas and hydrogen infrastructure to become a hub.

Bulgaria Total Energy Production & Consumption

Total energy consumption remained stable for the second year in a row in 2025 at around 17 Mtoe, after a 12% fall in 2023, in a context of lower lignite-fired power generation and higher electricity imports. Previously, primary energy consumption fell by over 2%/year between 1990 and 2010 (-36%) and has ranged between 17 and 19 Mtoe since then, with a 4.9% drop in 2020 and a nearly 9% rebound in 2021. Bulgaria's total energy consumption per capita stood at 2.6 toe in 2025 (close to the EU average).

Graph: Primary Consumption Trends by Energy Source

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Total Energy Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Bulgaria Oil Production & Consumption

Oil production is very limited (below 140 kt in 2025). Crude oil imports have averaged 6 Mt/year since 2010, with drops in 2020 and 2021 and a 28% fall in 2025 to 4.9 Mt amid a 25% fall in oil consumption. Crude oil imports mainly came from Kazakhstan (36% in 2025), Iraq (17%), and Saudi Arabia (15%); imports from Russia, which still accounted for 89% in 2023, fell by 93% to 6% in 2024 (0 in 2025).

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Crude Oil Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Refined Oil Products Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Bulgaria Natural Gas Production & Consumption

Natural gas production is negligible (around 10 mcm) and accounts for less than 1% of the domestic supply (2025). Imports have averaged 3 bcm/year since 2010, with a peak at 3.3 bcm in 2021, followed by two years of decline and two years of rebound (+2.7% in 2025 to 2.8 bcm).

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Gas Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Bulgaria Coal and Lignite Production & Consumption

Lignite production rebounded by 15% to 17 Mt in 2025 after 2 years of sharp fall (-35%/year) due to falling demand from the power sector. Previously, production decreased by around 5%/year between 2011 and 2020 (-20% in 2020 alone), before rebounding by around 25%/year in 2021 and 2022, in a context of high demand from the power sector in 2022 with lower hydro generation and high gas prices. Production covers 95% of coal and lignite consumption and imports are limited (0.7 Mt in 2025, i.e. +55% on 2024). In 2025, coal imports mainly came from Kyrgyzstan (45%) and South Africa (41%).

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Coal and Lignite Production & Consumption

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Bulgaria Renewable in % Electricity Production

In its updated NECP (2025), the country set a target of 35% of renewables in final energy consumption in 2030, including 49.3% for electricity, 44% for heating and cooling, and 29.9% for transport (including a contribution of renewable fuels of non-biological origin). This share was 23.2% in 2024 (19% in 2022), including 33.8% for electricity, 34.29% for heating and cooling, and 8.2% for transport. The 2020 target of 16% of renewables in final consumption was exceeded in 2012.

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria Share of Renewables in Electricity Production (incl hydro)

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data

Bulgaria GHG emissions and CO₂ emissions

Bulgaria, as all EU members, has a binding 55% GHG emission reduction target by 2030 compared to 1990 in its NDC. Emissions should decrease by 43% for sectors under the EU ETS and decrease by 10% for non-ETS sectors compared to 2005 levels (NECP, 2025). For its LULUCF sectors, Bulgaria's updated NECP targets net zero (total emissions not exceeding total removals) over 2021-2025 and net removals of 9.7 MtCO2eq over 2026-2030.

Source: Bulgaria energy report

Interactive Chart Bulgaria CO₂ emissions

Source: Global Energy & CO₂ data