EU Gas Storage at 90% Full; Bulgaria Faces High Energy Poverty Rates

According to the European Commission's annual report on the Energy Union, EU gas storage facilities are now 90% full. This data, presented by European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, highlights significant progress in energy security across the Union.

The report also reveals that Bulgaria is among the EU countries with a high percentage of residents struggling with energy poverty. In 2023, 20.7% of Bulgarians were unable to maintain adequate heating in their homes, with Spain and Portugal showing slightly worse figures. Additionally, 17.8% of Bulgarians faced challenges in paying for utility services during the same period.

In terms of energy mix, Bulgaria relied heavily on fossil fuels, which constituted 65.4% of its energy consumption in 2022, compared to the EU average of 69%. Nuclear energy contributed 20.9%, and renewable energy sources made up 13.8% of the energy mix. Specifically, the electricity mix in Bulgaria was dominated by fossil fuels at 48.2% and nuclear energy at 43.2%, while renewables accounted for 19.1%. This contrasts with the EU average of 39.4% for renewables.

Bulgaria's single underground gas storage facility had a capacity of 0.55 billion cubic meters, covering 20% of the country's gas consumption in 2022. By mid-August this year, the facility was 83.83% full. The report also notes that Bulgaria's fossil fuel diversification efforts are progressing well.