The National Assembly will urgently redesign The plan for recovery and sustainability in the energy sector.
"The problem comes from what we asked ourselves in the Recovery and Resilience Plan. As "under us" I mean Kiril Petkov's government. They set these conditions and we walked into the trap ourselves, and it clicked. There was an intimate thought of the two large monopoly operators - "Bulgartransgaz" and the electricity system operator to be removed from the BEH system. And to be gradually privatized".
This is what energy expert Yavor Kuyumdzhiev said in the studio of "The Day ON AIR".
In his words, both companies are natural monopolies.
"In no situation, in no country can there be a competitive high-voltage network, there is no logic or sense in building a competitive transmission line in such a way that you choose which transmission line your electricity will go through. The same applies to gas pipelines, which is why both companies are extremely tasty morsels for privatization, as they bring endless profits to their owner. Both companies operate on a non-market basis," added Kuyumdzhiev for Bulgaria ON AIR.
He explained that today there was information that for the first 6 months the electricity system operator made a profit of BGN 130 million.
"Parliament decided that these 2 companies cannot be taken out of BEH, which obliged the government, whoever it is, to negotiate with Brussels. And the European Commission wants us to fulfill this condition that we have set ourselves. The removal of the two companies from the structure of the Bulgarian Energy Holding will lead to other problems. What they have come up with, as far as I understand, is to take them out of BEH, fulfill the condition of the PVU and put them in another holding. We are talking about a new structure that will be under the Ministry of Energy. The second step is to include them as independent companies in the prohibition list for privatization," the energy expert emphasized.
From his words it became clear that in Bulgaria there is a prohibitive list of companies that are not subject to privatization without the decision of the National Assembly.
"We have several companies in BEH, of which the winners are Bulgartransgaz, ESO and Kozloduy NPP, the others are heavy losers. It will not lead to bankruptcy, because the NPP will remain there, which continues to make a lot of money. BEH's problem is that it has very large loans," added Yavor Kuyumdzhiev.
"I can't understand how Ukraine can build a nuclear power plant with Russian equipment, and we can't. The plant has systems and components that no one else produces except Russia. Our plant needs replacement, maintenance. A PAVETS "Chaira" is a unique facility because it is the largest installation in the Balkans and the second largest in Europe", commented the expert.