site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria Offers Excellent Conditions for Solar Power Development - Energy Minister

Thanks to its climate conditions: sunshine of 14 hours daily for a long period lasting from March to October, Bulgaria has excellent conditions for the development of solar power, Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said during a discussion at the annual Solarpower Summit 2022 which is taking place in Brussels, Nikolov's Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.

The Minister answered questions concerning Europe's dependence on the import of fossil fuels from Russia and the investments in renewable energy sources at large and in solar power in particular, and how they can help the European economies achieve energy independence.

"The growing geopolitical insecurity due to the hostilities in Ukraine, along with the lack of predictability owing to the dramatic volatility of energy prices, pose serious challenges to the European economies and power industries," Nikolov stressed.

The coordinated efforts and solidarity in response to the crisis are key under the circumstances. These efforts include a temporary framework in support of the national budgets and various mechanisms to enhance the security of energy supplies.

The Bulgarian Government sets a serious priority on the development of renewable energy sources and, in particular, of solar power and wind power, the Energy Minister emphasized.

In January-March 2022, photovoltaic power plants increased their share in Bulgaria's electricity transmission network by 39.99 per cent from the comparable period of 2021 and wind power plants by 19.53 per cent. The share of wind power plants in the electricity distribution network grew by 26.55 per cent, and the share of photovoltaic power plants rose by 22.10 per cent between the first quarters of this and last year, the Electricity System Operator reported on Tuesday.