site.btaEnergy Minister Stankov Criticises Long Heat Outage Planned for Sofia’s Druzhba Borough

Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov criticized plans to cut heat supply to more than 120 buildings in Sofia’s Druzhba borough for repairs between October 2 and December 30 in a television interview on Sunday.

"Such repairs are typically conducted from May to early October," Stankov said. He noted that his ministry had sent a letter to the mayor and the chair of the Sofia Municipal Council with specific questions about the works, as he finds it unacceptable to suspend heat supply for an extended period. Stankov added that he and his team would take all necessary steps to monitor the situation and maintain oversight.

Stankov reported that, based on preliminary data pending official confirmation from the ministry, zero linear metres associated with the investment programme have been replaced in 2024. He indicated that this may be due to the investment plan not being approved on time by the municipal council or because the municipality failed to secure the necessary funding. Stankov added that neither reason justifies the municipality’s inability to provide uninterrupted heating for residents, as maintaining continuous heat supply is the responsibility of both the mayor and the municipal council.

The planned repair will last 90 days, from October 2 to December 30. Toplofikacia Sofia reports that the works are necessary due to the deteriorating technical condition and frequent breakdowns of the network, which is over 35 years old. The repairs will affect 120 residential buildings in the area and include the replacement of more than 10 km of heating pipes and related infrastructure. The complete outage schedule is expected to be released on Monday.

The Druzhba 2 outages started on September 18, 2025, when Toplofikacia Sofia scheduled major repairs from October 2 to December 30. The company said service would not be cut for the entire period. On September 20, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov ordered on-site monitoring for a month and criticized the timing, arguing major works should be done between May 1 and October 1.

On September 22, Executive Director Petar Petrov outlined the plan: a three-day district-wide shutdown to install valves, then phased works across five zones so each household loses heating for about 7 to 15 days. He pointed to 900 plus complaints from 97 buildings last winter and rising water losses from 150 to 250 tonnes per hour, and said the overhaul should stabilize supply for decades and improve distant or higher-lying areas.

Public pressure escalated. The Ombudsman referred more than 200 complaints to Parliament’s Energy Committee. Residents blocked Tsarigradsko Shose, arguing for a precise schedule and shorter disruptions. Iskar district mayor Petar Kraev said around 120 buildings and nearly 40,000 people would be affected in rotation.

The issue moved into politics. Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev set up a working group for an external technical, financial and business audit and called for a prosecution review of management over the past 15 years, while floating a concession as an option. Movement for Rights and Freedoms Chair leader Delyan Peevski alerted prosecutors, questioned whether the company was being driven into bankruptcy, and attacked the concession idea.

Key open points remain the detailed block-by-block schedule, guarantees for schools and kindergartens, possible compensation for households, the scope and timing of the audit, and whether ministerial and prosecution oversight will accelerate the works without adding to disruption.