Bulgarian state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz is planning to propose higher wholesale natural gas price to be applied in June 2021. The statement from the company said that the price for April should be around 18.3 euros/MWh, slightly higher than the price previously proposed for May – 17.6 euros/MWh. In late March, Bulgarian Ministry of Energy has launched an investigation into state-owned natural gas supplier Bulgargaz over the record high wholesale gas prices proposed for the month of April. In mid-March, Bulgargaz said that it is planning to propose higher wholesale natural gas price to be applied in April 2021. However, the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (KEVR) said thаt іt hаѕ fоund а роѕіtіvе dіffеrеnсе fоr 2020 bеtwееn thе еѕtіmаtеd costs аnd those rероrtеd bу Вulgаrgаz fоr thе ѕuррlу оf nаturаl gаѕ. Аѕ а rеѕult, thе рrісе оffеrеd bу thе соmраnу fоr thе mоnth оf Арrіl 2021, іn іtѕ сарасіtу аѕ а рublіс ѕuррlіеr, hаѕ bееn rеduсеd bу thе аmоunt оf thе оvеrѕtаtеd rеvеnuе еѕtаblіѕhеd bу KEVR. Тhаt іѕ whу thе Міnіѕtrу оf Еnеrgу launched аn іnѕресtіоn оf Вulgаrgаz’ѕ асtіvіtу fоr 2020, іnсludіng thе rеаlіzеd rеvеnuеѕ аnd rероrtеd ехреnѕеѕ, аѕ wеll аѕ thеіr іmрасt оn thе рrісе оf nаturаl gаѕ оffеrеd bу thе рublіс ѕuррlіеr fоr Арrіl thіѕ уеаr. In March 2020, Bulgargaz and Gazprom Export have finalized an agreement on 40.3 % reduction of the price at which Russia supplies natural gas to Bulgaria, backdated to 5 August 2019. Bulgaria was the last of eight EU Member States of Eastern Europe to strike a deal on a price cut with Gazprom, in the wake of a settlement reached between the European Commission and the Russian monopolist on an anti-trust investigation. The agreement with Gazprom prompted the change in determining regulated wholesale gas prices, which is now set on monthly, rather than quarterly basis.
