site.btaPostponing Liberalization of Electricity Market Blocks Reform, Holds Back Development, Says BASEL Chairman

The National Assembly's decision to postpone indefinitely the liberalization of the electricity market for households raises serious questions about the future of energy reform in Bulgaria, according to Dimitar Beleliev, Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Association of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (BASEL). He commented on the amendments to the Energy Act adopted at second reading, according to which household consumers remain on the regulated electricity market indefinitely. According to him, instead of promoting competition and giving consumers the opportunity to choose better conditions, this decision blocks the development of the market and delays long-awaited changes. In his view, the new compensation mechanisms, although designed to protect domestic consumers, often prove cumbersome, inefficient and burdened with red tape.

The chairman of BASEL believes that the reports by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) as a means of monitoring are also not sufficient to ensure a transparent and sustainable transition. In this context, in his words, striking a balance between consumer protection and building real competition remains one of the key challenges facing the energy sector in the country. “It is not possible to have competition if the market is limited by special protection for consumers,” Dimitar Beleliev told BTA.