In 2024, Bulgaria added 938 MW of renewable electricity capacity, building on a record-breaking 1.2 GW of solar capacity installed in 2023. By the end of the year, projects totaling 4.1 GW were awaiting connection to the national grid.
The country’s electricity transmission system operator, ESO, reported that 481 renewable energy facilities were commissioned in 2024, with solar power making up the majority of the new capacity. However, Bulgaria has not commissioned any new wind farms since 2012, largely due to administrative challenges, legal uncertainties, and local opposition.
The solar sector in Bulgaria has flourished, reflecting a similar trend in neighboring Romania. According to the Sustainable Energy Development Agency (SEDA), Bulgaria’s total solar capacity exceeded 3.6 GW in 2023. Despite this growth, political instability over the past few years has delayed access to hundreds of millions of euros in EU grants, leaving significant funding untapped.
As of December 18, 2024, 125 renewable energy facilities, totaling 1.12 GW, were connected to the grid under a temporary mechanism designed for areas in need of network upgrades. These facilities often operate below full capacity until the necessary improvements are completed. By the end of the year, there were 330 applications for distribution network connections, totaling 707 MW, as well as 52 transmission system projects awaiting access, representing 3.35 GW. However, only 600 to 700 MW of this capacity is expected to be realized in the short term.
Additionally, smaller projects under 200 kW require only notification to ESO, with 732 such facilities in the pipeline, collectively accounting for 53.9 MW. In contrast, the previous year saw more than 2,000 applications for network connections totaling 7.2 GW. The sharp decline in applications for 2024 is attributed to the introduction of mandatory bank guarantees of 25,600 euros per MW, a requirement that was later extended to energy storage projects as well.
