The passionate week before Easter brought Bulgaria not only political passions in the form of an unsuccessful vote of no confidence in the "Zhelyazkov" cabinet, but also one undoubtedly positive piece of news - a signed contract between the government and the "Shell" company for the exploration and eventual extraction of oil and natural gas under the Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea.
The effect of this action is yet to be clarified, but the act itself shows serious intentions towards achieving energy independence for Bulgaria. Something that is of utmost importance, but has been neglected for many years at the expense of foreign interests.
The idea of Bulgaria extracting natural gas under the Black Sea is not new, with attempts dating back at least to 2012, when the companies OMV, Total and Repsol began searching for oil and gas in the "Khan Asparuh" block in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. There was also search in two other Bulgarian blocks - "Khan Kubrat" and "Teres", but production remained in the realm of the desirable.
Now "the "Khan Tervel" block is "in sight". If nothing else, at least our country is not giving up on extracting its own natural resources under the Black Sea.
And there is reason not to give up. Turkey is extracting natural gas under its waters, Romania expects to achieve the same in 2027 - it is logical that the Bulgarian part of the Black Sea should also have deposits...
3 years ago, the former Prime Minister of Turkey even made the bombastic statement that the energy reserves in the Black Sea could cover the entire world's gas consumption for 45 years. This is most likely a huge exaggeration, but even if it turns out to be 1% true, it would solve the energy problems of at least the countries of the Black Sea region. (Which reminds us that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine also concerns their territorial waters.)
Yes, Bulgaria should pursue a policy of extracting its own energy resources, in order to achieve energy independence. This includes not only the potential of the Black Sea - it is high time to eliminate the "beard-salian" a moratorium on the exploration and production of shale gas, which was imposed in 2012, mainly due to concerns that the "fracking" technology pollutes the environment. However, there are also alternative exploration technologies - seismic surveys, with remote methods. As for possible extraction - Bulgaria had full control over the exploration even before the moratorium and could stop it at any time if it caused environmental damage.
Bulgaria must also continue to develop its nuclear energy. It must also continue to defend its coal-fired power plants from the advances of the proven short-sighted Brussels bureaucrats.
Bulgaria's energy mix for 2022 is dominated by condensing thermal power plants using coal (which produced nearly 60% of the electricity produced). By the way, demand for coal is also growing globally. This shows how important it is for our country not to give up this energy source lightly. Despite European pressure.
Another third of our electricity came from the Kozloduy NPP. Given the fact that both remaining power units have reached the end of their service life, it is now imperative not only to think, but also to act on the introduction of the 7th and 8th reactors there. As for the Belene project, things are more complicated there. At first reading, Bulgaria currently does not feel the need for a second nuclear power plant. But if we have to close a large part of the thermal power plants, this will change.
The paradox is that new (and not replacement) energy capacities may be necessary in the event that electric cars do not enter mass use.
RES have a future in our country - data for 2023 and 2024 show an increase in their share in the energy mix, and with the development of science and technology they may become more profitable. But a hasty abandonment of nuclear and coal would play a very bad joke on us.
If our country follows this path, it can not only guarantee its energy independence, but also set a good example for Europe in this regard.
The energy system of the European Union is increasingly dependent on natural gas, and at the same time the Union cannot boast of significant domestic production. Which leads to dependencies - simply after 2022, the dependence on Russia will be replaced by dependence on other exporters (USA, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Algeria). Therefore, any opportunity for domestic production should be welcome.
As for nuclear power, Germany's decision to abandon it in 2011 was perhaps the biggest mistake in European energy strategy (along with the deliberate tying in with Russian gas supplies at the time). This decision by one of the two leading powers in the EU certainly had an impact on other member states. And in the end, it came down to prioritizing highly inefficient solar panels and wind turbines, investments in which (across the EU) are equivalent to dozens of uncommissioned nuclear reactors.
We also come to the madness of carbon quotas, the aim of which is to achieve a sharp reduction in carbon emissions by gradually abandoning coal as an energy source. Yes, but while Europe strives for "carbon neutrality", countries like China, India, and the US are betting heavily on coal (in fact, China is also investing heavily in renewable energy, but continues to spew out huge carbon emissions - both in absolute terms and as a ratio to GDP). And the atmosphere is one. And the planet remains "unsaved", but European economies are already "stumbled" - increasingly uncompetitive with the others, who refuse to abandon practical benefits for the sake of some ideologemes (doesn't this sound familiar to those born before 1980?).
Recently, the European Union announced its intention to increase its defense power, which is commendable and, given modern geopolitical realities, more than mandatory. However, in times of war, energy security is just as important as armaments. What good are more war machines if you don't have the fuel for them?
In this line of thought, the European Union must prioritize its energy security and maximize its independence from external suppliers. This is the duty of both the European Commission and national governments.
And for Bulgaria, it is clear that it can hit the table in Brussels and say: energy, you fool!