The administrative director of BGWEA, Betina Lyudmilova, presented the role of wind energy in the low-carbon energy transition at the conference “Industrial Triathlon: Climate, Energy and Environment”, organized by the Bulgarian Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers.
The series of events following COVID-19 has led to unpredictability and high prices in EU electricity markets, which has reinforced the need for RES energy to ensure Europe’s energy independence, with 2022 seeing significant growth in RES investment. In addition, many companies have begun to invest in RES technologies to partially or fully secure their energy consumption and maintain their competitiveness.
Rising emissions prices in the last two years have further increased the cost of energy produced from coal and gas. At the same time, investment costs for RES energy, and in particular for onshore wind energy, have decreased significantly over the last decade, with wind energy being by far the cheapest at the moment.
In Bulgaria, the energy intensive industry should be given the opportunity to take advantage of the available wind and solar potential, such as:
1. Encourage the implementation of mechanisms such as long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs), which on the one hand will stimulate RES investors and and on other hand will ensure a predictable price and origin of electricity for the industry;
2. Removal of the restriction for making transactions between producers and consumers on IBEX only. Dropping this provision for wind power producers would allow industrial users to meet their demand through a balanced mix of wind and solar.
Bulgaria should meet the decarbonization goals by promoting the development of renewable energy, while maintaining the competitiveness of the industry.