„The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission has launched large-scale inspections for possibly inflated electricity bills following signals from citizens and an escalation of tension on social networks". This was stated by the chairman of the regulator, Plamen Mladenovski, quoted by Nova TV. According to him, KEWR has not received a single signal, but is obliged to take action due to the tension that has arisen.
He stressed that regardless of the ongoing inspections, KEWR, as an independent body, is responsible for both setting prices and controlling their implementation. According to him, the regulator has not allowed and will not allow interference by the executive branch either in pricing or in its control activities. Mladenovski specified that the role of the Ministry of Energy is limited only to inspections of the technical condition of the electricity distribution network and has no bearing on electricity prices.
On Wednesday, KEWR teams began inspections of electricity distribution companies, and in the coming days they will also cover the remaining operators. The first step is to request information on issued invoices, which will be compared with the same period of the previous year. According to KEVR, the temperatures during the Christmas and New Year holidays and until mid-January of this and last year are completely comparable.
The regulator will check whether the prices are correctly applied, whether the reporting periods are correct, as well as whether the currency conversion of the bills has been carried out correctly. On this occasion, Mladenovski noted that there is information in the media and social networks about possible errors in the currency conversion, which will be checked within the framework of the inspections. Among the other checks is the comparison of the quantities of electricity purchased by the companies with those invoiced to the customers. If discrepancies are found, this will be a clear indicator of problems in the reporting.
„If we find irregularities, we will be uncompromising“, said Mladenovski and reminded that last year he signed over 100 punitive decrees for millions of leva against electricity distribution companies. The envisaged sanctions range from 20,000 to 1 million euros.
The Chairman of the EWRC emphasized that the price of electricity has not been changed since January 1, and the last adjustment was from July 1, 2025, when an increase of 2.58% was reported. According to Eurostat data, this places Bulgaria among the countries with the lowest electricity prices in Europe.
EWRC called on electricity distribution companies to be reasonable flexible. If a multiple increase in the bill is established compared to the previous month, the regulator will insist on offering options for deferred payment for the affected households.
With regard to “Toplofikatsiya Sofia“ Mladenovski announced that the inspection is continuing, with experts analyzing the data and the results expected as soon as possible.
He added that KEVR is obliged to take action in the event of such a public reaction, regardless of whether it ultimately turns out that the signals are a real problem or just noise on social networks. “Our task is to establish the facts and, if there are violations, to impose sanctions“, emphasized the chairman of the regulator.