The Acting Minister of Energy Traycho Traykov promised compensation for consumers who are found to have real problems with their electricity bills, NOVA reported.
He made the statement during his first visit as minister to the Chaira Power Plant, where he commented on the signals about inflated invoices and the state of the energy system.
“The most important thing is that some of the complaints are justified. We need to get to the bottom of it and see what the reason is and how people can be compensated“, said Traykov. According to him, an analysis of each individual complaint and bill will be made by the end of February and the beginning of March.
The minister specified that the inspections are carried out jointly with the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, including through independent laboratories and control of the software systems for reporting. The aim is to establish whether the problems are caused by errors in the billing systems or other technical reasons. In cases where irregularities have already been identified, the electricity distribution companies have started compensation on their own initiative, including by deducting from future bills or refunding amounts.
Traykov called on all citizens who have doubts about the correctness of their invoices to submit signals to the regulator so that inspections can be carried out.
Regarding the energy situation in the country, the minister assured that there are no settlements in Bulgaria with power outages for more than six hours. Only local outages have been reported, which are monitored by the electricity distribution companies. The gas transmission system is functioning normally, and at the large dams of the National Electric Company, controlled water release is taking place due to the increased inflow, without any critical or emergency situations.
The Acting Minister of Energy Traycho Traykov inspected on-site the progress of the repair and restoration activities at the Chaira Hydroelectric Power Plant - a strategic facility for balancing the country's electricity system.
“It is no coincidence that I am here on the second day of the government's mandate. After the accidents in 2022, the whole country was wondering what was happening and how the repair and restoration works were going. Today I can say that an extremely large amount of serious work has been done“, said Minister Traykov.
The repair of hydro unit 2 is nearing its final stage, with the facility already having accumulated 2,757 working hours. The innovative technical solution applied has proven its effectiveness and has also been used in the rehabilitation of hydro unit 3.
The progress of the restoration work on hydro unit 3 was reviewed, which is the next key stage of the work on the facility. The NEK team has committed to putting it into operation in early April. Since February 17, the so-called “dry” commissioning tests of the unit have been underway - the first stage of the tests, including a comprehensive check of the communication and interaction between the systems. This stage is expected to last about three weeks, after which the actual commissioning tests will begin.
A repair contract has been concluded for hydro unit 1, and preparatory activities for the rehabilitation are being carried out. The most serious technical challenge remains hydro unit 4. The Minister explained that a phased and comprehensive approach will be applied to hydro unit 4, including:
1. Construction and installation risk analysis and technical design;
2. Safe dismantling of existing equipment;
3. Delivery and installation of new equipment.
In this regard, new procedures are to be announced in the coming months.
During the visit, Minister Traykov ordered the preparation of a detailed roadmap for the complete restoration of the plant. The document will be publicly presented and will contain specific deadlines, stages and responsibilities.
“Crises in the system must be managed. That is why I am here - to ensure clarity, control and transparency,“ the Minister emphasized.
The PAC “Chaira“ is the largest underground power plant in the Balkans and a key instrument for the flexibility and security of the electricity system. Restoring its capacity will increase the ability to balance loads, respond to emergency situations and maintain stable voltage and frequency parameters.
„We have a clear plan, systematic work and expert capacity. I am convinced that we will restore the full potential of the Chaira Nuclear Power Plant in the interest of the country's energy security“, said Minister Traykov.
We recall that at the end of March 2022, during startup after repairs, a serious accident occurred in one of the turbines, and weeks later all the plant's capacities stopped.