Increased consumption of electricity was registered in the country during the weekend because of the sudden drop in temperatures, said Bulgarian electricity transmission system operator ESO. However, despite the high demand, it did not become necessary to activate additional capacities.
With temperatures reaching minus 16 degrees Celsius at the weekend and during the night, the daily demand for electricity was between 128 and 148 GWh.
The three electricity distribution companies in Bulgaria CEZ, EVN and Energo Pro said that that despite the severe weather conditions and the icy rain, there were no broken power lines and places without electricity supply in Bulgaria.
CEO of ESO Angelin Tsachev explained that the consumption of electricity during the weekend, when the weather was the coldest, peaked at 6,800 MWh during day time between 18.30 and 19.30. The power mix of the country involves the capacities of nuclear power plant Kozloduy, coal-fired thermal power plants and hydropower plants. There was no need to turn on additional capacity. Compared to last month’s cold spell, consumption was generally the same – about 140 GWh per day.