Bulgaria generated 3,057 GWh of electricity in May 2026, recording a sharp decline from April but a substantial increase from the same month a year earlier. The figures point to a power system benefiting from stronger annual production while still displaying the pronounced monthly volatility created by weather, renewable output and seasonal consumption.
Electricity production fell 18.7% month on month, while consumption declined 7.7% to 2,554 GWh. The monthly reduction was consistent with the transition from the winter and early spring demand period into a milder part of the year, when heating requirements fall and solar generation changes the shape of conventional plant dispatch.
Compared with May 2025, however, electricity generation increased 18.3%, considerably faster than the 6.1% increase in consumption. The gap implies a stronger exportable surplus and reinforces Bulgaria’s position as one of the main electricity suppliers to Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey.
Natural gas consumption reached 217mn cubic metres, down 12.1% from April but 20.6% higher than a year earlier. Domestic gas production remained negligible at less than 0.5mn cubic metres, leaving the Bulgarian economy overwhelmingly dependent on imports.
Oil-product data presented a mixed picture. Unleaded petrol production declined 0.8% to 127,000 tonnes, while consumption increased 7.4% to 58,000 tonnes. Diesel production rose 2.8% to 253,000 tonnes, but consumption surged 41.3% to 236,000 tonnes. The unusually strong diesel increase points to higher transport, construction, logistics and industrial activity, although inventory movements may have amplified the monthly comparison.
Liquefied petroleum gas consumption increased 14.3% to 32,000 tonnes, while domestic production remained unchanged at 7,000 tonnes. Solid-fuel production rose 33.7% to 834,000 tonnes, accompanied by a 29.6% increase in consumption to 884,000 tonnes.
The continued importance of solid fuels illustrates the tension inside Bulgaria’s energy transition. Nuclear and renewable generation are strengthening the country’s low-carbon power position, but coal remains important for dispatchable capacity, employment and system adequacy. Rising electricity exports can support generator revenues, yet they also increase the value of grid reinforcement and flexible assets capable of managing stronger cross-border flows.
The May figures show a system producing considerably more electricity than a year earlier while domestic demand expands at a slower rate. That combination supports Bulgaria’s role as a regional balancing and export market, particularly when nuclear restrictions or renewable shortfalls tighten supply further north.
