site.btaBulgaria Cuts Solid Fossil Fuel Share but Still Imports Energy from Russia - European Commission

The share of solid fossil fuels in Bulgaria's energy mix declined from 37% in 2010 to 21% in 2021, but the country continues to import energy from Russia, the European Commission pointed out in a report released here on Thursday.

The share of renewable energy increased from 8% in 2010 to 14% in 2023, whereas the share of crude oil and petroleum products and of nuclear energy grew from 22 to 27% and from 21 to 24%, respectively. Bulgaria's electricity and gas prices remain among the lowest in the EU, the Commission reports. 

"Bulgaria has made efforts to strengthen security of supply and diversify its natural gas sources through infrastructure investments," the document says. It adds that "following the expiry of the Ukraine-Russia agreement for transit of gas, Bulgaria became the only entry point for Russian pipeline gas into the EU". The Commission recommends that Bulgaria should accelerate the expansion of the capacity of the Chiren underground gas storage to 1 bcm and support increased flow from TAP and LNG terminals in Greece.

The report further recommends that Bulgaria should further reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, accelerate the roll-out of renewables, remove the subsidies supporting coal-based electricity production and district heating, and roll out smart grid infrastructure.