The deficit in the “Security of the electricity system“ will be compensated by the state budget, he said at a briefing in the Ministry the acting minister of energy, Vladimir Malinov, announced that the decision was taken at today's government meeting, BTA reports
According to today's information from the fund's management body, the deficit is BGN 449 million, which is expected to reach about BGN 500 million by the end of the regulatory period, it became known from the words of Minister Malinov .
„Fund “Security not the electricity system” was established to cover the costs of the public electricity supplier in relation to residential customers, as well as to cover the costs of producers of electricity from renewable sources. The positive financial result in the previous years since the creation of the fund, in the period 2021 – 2022, was used to cover the high prices of electricity and natural gas, respectively, according to decisions of the Council of Ministers and its programs. In the current regulatory period, there is an exceptional deficit in terms of revenues and expenses in the "Electricity System Security" Fund. When I say the current regulatory period, I mean from July 1, 2023 until now”, explained Vladimir Malinov.
He emphasized that with today's decision to compensate the deficit in the fund, a corresponding procedure is foreseen.
„This will enable the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, when preparing the price decision for electricity for domestic consumers for the next regulatory period, namely from July 1 this year, that this deficit should not be compensated by an increase in the cost of living", the minister also explained.
Malinov assured that the entire deficit accumulated in the fund will be covered, but in order to establish its final amount, the current regulatory period must end. “With the act of the Council of Ministers, an additional obligation is assigned to the fund by July 30 to provide a specific analysis regarding the precisely accumulated deficit at the end of the regulatory period,”, he further explained. The Acting Minister of Energy added that based on the upcoming analysis, the Energy Minister will propose measures, and then a government decree will be adopted to cover the deficit. According to him, the current Cabinet decision states that the costs must be covered within the budget year 2024.