ENERGO-PRO appeals for rapid regulation and creation of development plans in suburban areas

The increase in the consumption of electricity in the cottage areas near the larger cities in North-Eastern Bulgaria is a natural process of orientation of a part of the population in recent years towards living in these areas. This requires renewing the electricity distribution network and increasing its capacity by reconstructing the network schemes in places, in order to meet the needs of customers for quality power supply. The lack of detailed development plans (DDP) in many of these areas greatly complicates the work of ERP North in planning reconstructions along the network, implementation of the planned investment program, and at the same time creates inconvenience for customers who suffer from interruptions in the electricity supply. It is imperative that the private networks with low capacity be replaced with new facilities corresponding to the increased consumption, but without an approved PUP, the electricity distribution company has no right to carry out such reconstructions.

A solution to the problem has been sought for years. The managements of ENERGO-PRO and the network company ERP North are in contact with representatives of the local authorities in municipalities and regional administrations and regularly signal the obstacles to the construction of new networks. In this situation, ERP North is making efforts to provide conditions for minimizing disturbances in the electricity supply by rehabilitating existing facilities, but with the growing number of residents in these areas, this measure is insufficient.

ENERGO-PRO will continue to insist on speeding up the PUP approval processes necessary to carry out larger-scale repairs in the cottage areas and suburban regions. Every year, specialists of ERP Sever make a site visit and check the network facilities owned by the company, after which an expert team prepares an assessment of their condition. On the basis of the expert assessment, the sites with an urgent need for inclusion in the investment and repair programs of the electricity distribution company are identified. The purpose of the realized investments in the network is to ensure quality electricity supply to customers.