The topic of the future of the state-owned "TPP Maritsa East 2", as well as the adjacent mines, is becoming more and more relevant from the complex. The fate of the TPP has become a pre-election chewing gum for many politicians, and the topic remains after the vote on Sunday. At his first press conference after the elections, the political party "Vazrazhdane" announced that they will continue to fight for the future of thermal power plants in our country and will insist on the cancellation of the so-called European Union Green Deal.
The exact words of the chairman of "Revival" Kostadin Kostadinov are:
"Bulgarian thermal power plants must be preserved and in this regard we are acting together with the European group of sovereign nations. The Green Deal must be canceled and the carbon quotas, more properly called "taxes" that make our thermal power plants unprofitable, must be removed. They are burdened with artificial taxes, otherwise the electricity from them is the cheapest, cheaper than the one at the "Kozloduy" NPP. or at the border more or less", says Kostadinov.
The post has hundreds of likes as well as shares.
Is it true, however, that the price of electricity produced by the state-owned "TPP Maritsa East 2" is close to that of electricity from the "Kozloduy" NPP? This is what the verification of the facts showed, commented BNT.
The KEVR decision
With its decision, the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (KEVR) sets the price of electricity from the two state plants - NPP and TPP - at which they sell electricity to domestic consumers every year. In the free market, prices are different and are determined by demand.
According to the decision of the energy regulator, the price of electricity from the Kozloduy NPP for households it is BGN 65.47 per megawatt hour. The price of electricity at "Maritsa East 2 TPP" is BGN 275.98 per megawatt hour. Both values are current from July 1 of this year and will be valid until July 1, 2025. What else is written in the commission's decision?
It describes in detail the costs of the Kozloduy NPP. and at "TPP Maritsa East 2", which participate in pricing.
"Given the above, the price for electricity of the “NPP Kozloduy” EAD is calculated in the amount of BGN 65.47/MWh, excluding VAT, with total required revenues of BGN 1,022,383 thousand and net electrical energy – 15,615,000 MWh".
Given the above, the price for electricity of “TPP Maritsa East 2“ EAD is calculated in the amount of BGN 275.98/MWh, excluding VAT, with total required revenues of BGN 2,190,806 thousand and net electrical energy – 7,938,135 MWh".
Actually, the decision states that almost half of the expenses of the state thermal power plant are for greenhouse gas quotas, as claimed by "Vazrazhdane". Even if we enter the hypothesis of non-fulfillment by Bulgaria of the requirements for a green economy and elimination of these costs, the price of electricity from the "TPP Maritsa East 2" it will actually decrease, but in the best case - by half. This means that it would be BGN 137.99 per megawatt hour - that is, twice the price of electricity from the "Kozloduy" NPP. However, this hypothesis is, of course, impossible, because Bulgaria has accepted as a member of the European Union to fulfill the requirements of the so-called "Green Deal". Our country has repeatedly confirmed this obligation, and it is also included in the adopted Recovery and Sustainability Plan.
Separately, with a decision of the National Assembly, BGN 1 billion should be provided to the mines for land reclamation in the next four years, which practically means that the mines are going to be closed.
What was it like before the quotas?
16 years ago TPP "Maritsa East" 2 did not buy greenhouse gas allowances. Then the price set by KEVR for the electricity from it is BGN 40.50 per megawatt hour. At the same time, the price of the Kozloduy NPP is BGN 11.68. The difference as a percentage is even greater - almost three and a half times. In the reasons for the decision, it is described in detail that the thermal power plant sells under a long-term contract to the National Electric Company.
So in practice, even when no allowances needed to be bought, the electricity cost more and the claim that the two prices are similar is false. The price of electricity from the thermal power plant also includes the costs of extraction, storage, and transportation of the fuel.
In conclusion, we can say that the statement of "Vazrazhdane" that the price of electricity from the thermal power plants is similar to that of the "Kozloduy" NPP, if it were not for the green quotas, is false.
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