Bulgaria

Energy Act and the National Energy Strategy until 2020

Legislative

Law

Passed in 2003

One of the aims of the Energy Act is to create conditions for the 'promotion of the combined generation of electricity and heat' (art. 2). In its part on combined heat and power generation introduces the requirements of the related EU directives and the use of instruments such as green certificates and preferential feed in tariffs and mandates the state regulations to the licensed activities in the power sector and purchase obligations for the Transmission and Distribution Companies of all electricity produced from high efficient cogeneration, and for district heating companies to buy all utilised waste thermal energy.

The Act also mandates regular production of the National Energy Strategy. The most recent one, Energy Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria until 2020 was published in 2011. The Energy strategy is worked out by the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism and approved by the Council of Ministers.

The present National Energy Strategy till 2020 reflects the up-to-date European energy policy framework and the global trends in the development of energy technologies. The main priorities in the Energy Strategy are:
1) to guarantee the security of energy supply
2) to attain the targets for renewable energy
3) to increase the energy efficiency
4) to develop a competitive energy market and policy for the purpose of meeting the energy needs
5) to protect the interests of the consumers'

These priorities also determine the Government's vision for the development of the energy which is :
1)maintaining a safe, stable and reliable energy system
2) keeping the energy sector a leading branch of the economy with definite orientation to foreign trade
3) focus on clean and low-emission energy - from nuclear and renewable sources
4) balance between quantity, quality and prices of the electric power produced from renewable sources, nuclear energy, coal and natural gas
5) transparent, efficient and highly professional management of the energy companies

The strategy also lays down the main national targets for the energy sector: 16% share of energy from renewables in gross final energy consumption by 2020; 10% share of energy from renewables in the gross final energy consumption in transport by 2020; and energy efficiency increase by 25% by 2020.

Documents

Climate targets in this law

5 targets

35% reduction in GHG (from Biofuel/biomass use) in the short term, then by 50% in 2017, and by 60% in 2018 compared with a business as usual scenario

Energy | Base year target | Target year: 2018 | Base year: Business as usual scenario
16% final energy consumption from renewables by 2020

Energy | Fixed level target | Target year: 2020 | Base year: 2020
50% reduction energy intensity of GDP (456 tonnes/year) by 2020 against a 2005 baseline

Energy | Intensity target | Target year: 2020 | Base year: 2005
10% reduction in emissions from non-ETS plants, 21% reduction from ETS plants by 2020 compared with 2005

Economy-wide | Base year target | Target year: 2020 | Base year: 2005
30% households gasified by 2020

Buildings | Base year target | Target year: 2020 | Base year: 2020