Fact check: How expensive is electricity from TPP Maritsa East 2? ᐉ News from Fakti.bg – Bulgaria

The subject of the future of the TPP Maritsa East 2, which is owned by the state, as well as the nearby mines of the property, is increasingly relevant. The fate of the TPP has become a pre-election chewing gum for many politicians, and the topic remains after Sunday’s vote. At their first press conference after the elections, the political party “Vazrazhdane” announced that they will continue to fight for the future of thermal power plants in our country and that they will demand the so-called to cancel. The European Union Green Deal.

The exact words of the president of “Vazrazhdane” Kostadin Kostadinov are:

“Bulgaria’s thermal power plants must be preserved and in this regard we are working together with the European group of sovereign countries. . They are burdened with artificial taxes, otherwise the electricity from them is the cheapest, cheaper than the level at Kozloduy NPP or more or less on the border,” says Kostadinov.

The post has hundreds of likes as well as shares.

But, is it true that the price of electricity produced by the TPP Maritsa East 2, which is owned by the state, is close to the price of electricity from the Kozloduy NPP? This is what the proof of the truth showed, said BNT.

Decision of KEVR

With its decision, the Commission for Energy and Water Management (KEVR) sets the price of electricity from the two state plants – NPP and TPP – at which they sell electricity to domestic consumers every year. In the free market, prices are different and determined according to demand.

According to the decision of the energy regulator, the price of electricity from Kozloduy NPP for households is BGN 65.47 per megawatt hour. The price of electricity at “Maritsa East 2 TPP” is BGN 275.98 per megawatt hour. Both values ​​are current from July 1 of this year and will be valid until July 1, 2025. What else is written in the commission’s decision?

It describes in detail the costs of Kozloduy NPP and Maritsa East 2 TPP, which are involved in prices.

“Given the above, the price for electric energy “Kozloduy NPP” EAD is calculated at BGN 65.47 / MWh, without VAT, with a required total income of BGN 1,022,383 thousand and energy net electricity – BGN 15,615,000 MWh”.

As a result of the above, the price for electric energy “Maritsa East 2 TPP” EAD is calculated at BGN 275.98 / MWh, excluding VAT, with a total required income of BGN 2,190,806 thousand and net electrical energy – 7,938 135 MWh”.

In fact, it is written in the decision that almost half of the costs of the state thermal power plant are for greenhouse gas quotas, as “Vazrazhdane” said. Even if we enter the hypothesis of Bulgaria’s non-fulfillment of the requirements for a green economy and eliminate these costs, the price of electricity from “Maritsa East 2 TPP” will indeed decrease, but in the best case – by half. This means that it would be BGN 137.99 per megawatt hour – that is, twice the price of electricity from the Kozloduy NPP. However, this idea is, of course, impossible, because Bulgaria has accepted as a member of the European Union to fulfill the requirements of the so-called name. “Green Deal”. Our country has reaffirmed this responsibility, and it is also written in the Recovery and Stability Plan that was adopted.

Separately, by a decision of the National Assembly, BGN 1 billion must be given to the mines for the re-acquisition of land in the next four years, which practically means that the mines are closed.

How was it before the quotas?

16 years ago, TPP “Maritsa East” did not buy 2 quotas for greenhouse gases. Then the price set by KEVR for the electricity from it is BGN 40.50 per megawatt hour. At the same time, the price of the Kozloduy NPP is BGN 11.68. The difference as a percentage is even greater – almost three and a half times. In the reasons for the decision, it is explained in detail that the TPP sells under a long-term contract to the National Electricity Company.

So in practice, even when there was no need to buy allowances, the electricity costs more and the claim that the two prices are similar is false. The price of electricity from the thermal power plant also includes the costs of extraction, storage and transportation of the fuel.

In conclusion, we can say that the statement “Vazrazhdane” that the price of electricity from thermal power plants is similar to the price of Kozloduy NPP, if it is not for the green quotas, is wrong.