In 2010 Bulgaria produced a record amount of electricity from renewable energy sources /RES/. It is 1/3 from the production of the Kozloduy NPP that generates 15 percent from energy consumption in this country. That was what Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov said during a conference on energy effectiveness and renewable sources. However, the usage of RES in industry is not that progressive. Barely 3.5 percent of the overall energy consumption in the sector comes from RES, “but we are about to change that via the stimulus provided in the RES Act and now we see huge interest towards such industry projects,” the minister commented. Besides that in 2010 Bulgaria saved nearly 3.350 GWh of energy. That is one of the reasons why a record energy export has been registered over the past couple of years.
Despite all this, data on Bulgaria’s energy strategy till 2020 show that we consume EUR 900 mln. per year more for energy resources on the average EU consumption. That is why energy effectiveness guarantees to this country more secure supplies and reduced dependency on fuel import. However, Bulgaria’s energy consumption continues to be the highest within the EU, no matter the better national indexes. This is a problem that the economy’s competitiveness faces. At the same time energy effectiveness has a huge potential that may set free enormous financial resource of the state and the companies, along with resource for energy export.
“We expect our savings from the implementation of energy effective measures in industry, transport, services, agriculture and lifestyle to reach some EUR 700 mln. in 2016,” Minister Traikov foresaw. “The increasing of the RES energy’s share in the final gross consumption is a major step at the transition to low-carbon economy. Global investments in pure energy reached USD 243 bln. in 2010, or 30 percent more on the previous year. It might come as a surprise to you, but the capacity of the RES installed worldwide is now bigger than the one of nuclear powers.”
Minister Traikov also underlined the possibilities standing before big companies that might use the EU funds for investments in green industry. Thus energy consumptive and negative ecological impact will be reduced and pure, energy saving technologies and RES will be implemented. The economic ministry has created a special innovative scheme for funding of green projects for small and medium-sized companies. EUR 150 mln. from the EU are combined with credit resource of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development /EBRD/ under that scheme. According to the national plan for encouragement of green public procurements till 2012 60 percent of the paper used by the state administration will be recycled, while 60 percent of IT equipment, 80 percent of office lights and 90 percent of air conditioners will be energy saving.
If we see the EU as a global company, its management /EC/ has aimed at raising the level of energy economy till 2020 and at the creation of low-carbon economy till 2050. This will lead to the saving of EUR 1,000 per household and the opening of 2 mln. jobs. Actually these are measures from the new plan for energy effectiveness that will help Europe cope with climate change, covering its energy needs at the same time.
English version: Zhivko Stanchev
