In Bulgaria, the production of energy can be limited due to the lack of maneuvering capacities, said the executive director of ESO

In Bulgaria, energy production may be limited due to the lack of maneuvering capacities in the system, which would enable this energy to be stored or to compensate for its production. This was said by the executive director of the Electricity System Operator (ESO), Angelin Tsachev, during a round table on “Electricity networks and network services – challenges to the energy transition and market liberalization”, organized by the Institute for Energy Management. That’s why he warned every producer that any violation will be sanctioned and in April there may be restrictions on energy production.

Tsachev gave as an example that in April the load in the system was approximately 3500 megawatts. He pointed out that during the Easter holidays there is one operating unit at the Kozloduy NPP, which is 1000 megawatts. There are 300-350 megawatts of operational cogeneration plants. In addition, there are at least 4 units in the system of thermal power plants that produce about 500 megawatts of energy. Conventional powers also work. Separately, there are 3,000 megawatts of production from RES capacities. This means 5,800-6,000 megawatts of energy production at 3,500 megawatts of load. “Tell me where the remaining 2,000-2,500 megawatts go?” Tsachev asked. Therefore, he recommended that the opportunity to develop energy storage projects as well as the development of energy corridors so that excess energy can be exported out of the country be quickly sought.

Tsachev pointed out that over 1700-1800 megawatts are the operating RES plants that have been connected to the distribution and transmission network only for the last year and a half. Currently, there are more than 3,000 megawatts of solar power plants operating in the country. Therefore, the question is how these capacities will be managed. Tsachev believes that in addition to thinking about joining and building the networks, one should also think about the parallel process of building maneuvering capacities. There is such a growth in commitment by operators of renewable energy sources in very few countries in the European Union, commented the executive director of the ESO.

“If we stand and wait, the losses for us will be huge,” he pointed out. Therefore, projects for energy storage projects, but not only batteries, need to be developed urgently. Tsachev recommended developing energy storage systems of industrial importance, such as pumped-storage hydroelectric power plants (SHP). Energy corridors must be built so that energy can be traded.