site.btaXIX Conference of the Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies Focuses on Urban Transformation, Energy Transition

The 19th Conference of the Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies (ABEA) is taking place in Sofia on Thursday under the motto “Cities in Transformation”. The discussions focus on building renovation solutions and the development of energy communities.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Dora Yankova said that people are living in a time of accelerated change, in which cities represent both challenges and potential. She noted that cities drive local economies, generate ideas and innovation, and form communities around key issues, while also being the biggest energy consumers and the first to feel the effects of climate change. Yankova added that the key challenge is to create fair cities and homes with lower energy consumption, leading to a green transition and reduced harmful emissions.

Angel Nikolaev of ABEA said that Europe has already put energy transition policies in place and that it is now time to move to implementation. According to him, rhetoric against the green transition does not halt its progress, economic logic increasingly aligns with climate policy because clean energy is the greenest, and investments follow that trend. Nikolaev added that decarbonization is advancing rapidly, with the market turning coal into a seasonal reserve. He also said that Bulgaria’s electricity system will be heavily dominated by solar energy in the future – both an opportunity and a challenge.