CO2 tax
One of the factors for increasing the price of electricity is carbon quotas. A striking trend is that since natural gas prices have calmed down and this has led to lower electricity prices, CO2 emissions have become more expensive almost immediately.
And the Bulgarian energy mix pays quite a bit for carbon quotas given the dominant share of coal plants. Although they have generated serious gains in recent months, they may now backfire as soon as prices normalize and coal power becomes uncompetitive again.
The deals on the stock exchange
The transactions on the energy exchange are indicative of the market. The state thermal power plant “Maritsa-East 2”, for example, tried to sell electricity several times in the last two weeks. First, on February 2, the offers were around BGN 345/mWh, and then contracts were concluded for only 5% of the offered quantities. Then, on February 8, there were new auctions, at a price of BGN 338/mWh, but there was no longer any interest from traders.
