October 2 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria, highly dependent on imports of energy resources to keep its economy running, should focus on the development of renewable energy projects, as it has a potential for 5,000 megawatts (MW) of wind farms, an industry official said on Tuesday.
The EU newcomer has to cover 11% of its gross domestic energy consumption by renewable energy sources by 2010, compared to about one percent in 2005, in order to comply with EU directives. Bulgaria joined the EU in January 2007.
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“There are enough resources in Bulgaria, especially in the northeastern part, to operate 3,000 MW wind parks on shore and 2,000 MW of off-shore wind farms,” the president of Bulgarian Association of Producers of Ecological Energy, Velizar Kiriakov, told reporters.
Active wind parks in Bulgaria are expected to reach some 70 MW by the end of this year and rise to some 200 MW by 2010.
The State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (SEWRC) has set up the buyout prices of wind and sun-generated electricity at 175 levs ($126.7/89.5 euro) per MWh and 720 levs per MWh, respectively. Bulgaria's power grid operator NETC is bound by law to buy the electricity generated from renewable sources at preferential prices for a period of 12 years.
The country closed down a second pair of Soviet-made 440-megawatt reactors at Kozloduy at the end of 2006 to address nuclear safety concerns voiced by the EU. The move left Kozloduy with two operating reactors of 1,000 MW each and reduced Bulgaria's power exports to a trickle. Before the closure Kozloduy generated about 40% of the country's electricity and enabled Bulgaria to cover over 70% of the power deficit of its neighbours.
Currently Bulgaria has installed capacities of over 5,000 MW of thermal power plants and about 2,600 MW of hydro power plants. In 2006 Bulgaria awarded a 3.99 billion euro deal to Russia's Atomstroyexport to build a new 2,000 MW nuclear power plant.
(1 euro=1.95583 levs)