Bulgaria Watchdog to Decide on Suspending Power Distributors' Permits

Bulgaria's State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation is to decide Wednesday on a procedure for the termination of the licenses of the three power distributors.

The 3-day deadline set by Economy and Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev expired and the independent energy watchdog for the payment of BGN 318 to the National Electric Company (NEK) by power distributors CEZ, EVN, and Energo-Pro expired on Tuesday.

Stoynev has accused power distributors of endangering Bulgaria's national security, vowing to refer the matter to the prosecuting authority and threatening them with nationalization.

DKEVR warned that it would launch a procedure for the termination of licenses of the three power distributors on Wednesday unless the money was transferred to the accounts of NEK.

NEK did not accept a transfer of BGN 32 M from power distributor EVN on Tuesday, saying that the sum had been defined as short-term liquidity of NEK. Meanwhile, power distributor CEZ transferred BGN 8.07 M to the accounts of NEK and pledged to make two more payments by end-March.

The dispute started after NEK filed a complaint with the energy watchdog over the practice of power distributors to resort to unauthorized offsetting of expenses for purchasing renewable energy at preferential prices, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

Asked to comment on the impact of the dispute between NEK and the three power distributors on electricity prices, Tasko Ermenkov, socialist MP and Chair of the parliamentary energy committee, claimed in an interview for private TV station bTV that the state still had opportunities to keep electricity prices unchanged, advising a careful and responsible approach to the matter so as to avoid damage to the...