A report on the development of the Bulgarian electric power system until 2020 says that the period between 2007 and 2011 will be critical as power generating facilities at four thermal power plants will go out of operation. The resulting risk can be avoided by rehabilitating other operational facilities and building new ones.

The report was unveiled on Friday, June 2nd, by National Electric Company (NEK) at an international forum on nuclear energy and the environment. According to this report the rehabilitation of the Maritza East II Thermal Power Plant should begin in 2008, and rehabilitation of the TPPs at Rousse and Varna should start in 2009. If the Bulgarian power industry fulfils its rehabilitation and construction programme, it will secure a good position on the regional market.

Rousse TPP - The Privatization Agency (PA) terminated the procedure for the sale of 100% of the thermal power plant (TPP) in Rousse in January. The decision followed the cancellation of negotiations with RAO United Energy Systems (UES) after last summer the Commission for the Protection of Competition decided that the Russian company could not acquire both plants in Rousse and Varna, which were offered in two parallel procedures. RAO UES chose to hold talks on the Varna TPP but that deal also failed. The offer of the second-ranked bidder for the Rousse TPP, Czech CEZ, was not satisfactory. Therefore the PA has decided not to hold negotiations with it and terminate the procedure.
However, the plant urgently needs fresh financing to carry out its investment program and upgrade its capacities in compliance with the European requirements. Therefore a new privatisation procedure should be launched recently.