Bulgaria, the leading exporter in Southeast Europe, increased electricity production in coal and gas-fired thermal power plants by 7.4% and 47% respectively in the period from November 7 to 13 (45th week) compared to the previous week, due to strong demand growth.
The country’s energy mix was dominated by coal – 460.3 GWh, followed by nuclear energy (341 GWh) and gas (47.9 GWh). Hydropower took only fourth place, with 27.7 GWh. Variable renewable sources fell by 40%, to 28 GWh.
Demand for electricity in Bulgaria increased by about 22%, from 615.8 GWh to 753.4 GWh on a weekly basis.
In the entire region, the import of electricity in this period grew strongly, by as much as 49%, to 1.59 TWh, as a result of the decline in the production of renewable sources and the growth in consumption. Net imports increased throughout SEE, except in Serbia and Greece. Romania moved from being a net exporter last week to a net importer, with a net import of 24.25 GWh. Croatian export increased by 33% in one week, to 101.5 GWh.
At the same time, Bulgarian exports increased by 25%, to 161.5 GWh, as a result of competitive prices. The average weekly clearing price of electricity was 198.8 euros per MWh in Bulgaria.
