Bulgaria proposes changes to electricity trading rules to include new market participants

The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission of has proposed its amendments to Bulgaria’s electricity trading rules.

The changes aim to align electricity trading rules with recent updates to the country’s Energy Act and a legal and operational framework for new categories of market participants, according to law firm CMS Bulgaria.

New categories include active customers (active buyers), citizen energy communities, self-consumers (prosumers) of electricity from renewable sources, and renewable energy communities.

The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) held a public consultation event today on its draft changes in electricity trading rules. Representatives of the three distribution system operators (DSOs), the Sofia Municipality and the Bulgarian Association for Electrical Engineering and Electronics (BASEL) participated in the discussion.

These changes are designed to encourage electricity production for self-consumption

These changes are designed to encourage electricity production for self-consumption, minimize distribution losses, and foster more predictable energy pricing, a CMS e-alert reads. Furthermore, the amendments would ensure the Bulgarian rules comply with EU law, specifically directives 2018/2001 and 2019/944 and Regulation 2019/943.

The proposed draft introduces several specific provisions to facilitate the participation of the said new entities, CMS stressed.

It explicitly defines how new participants can join the market and the types of contracts they are permitted to conclude.

The new rules allow for the grouping of different sites for joint electricity production or consumption. They also set technical mandates for commercial metering devices, including remote reading capabilities.

The new rules also define calculation of generated, shared and sold electricity

The authors outlined procedures for registering or deregistering participants and groups with network operators. The update would impose an obligation to maintain a public register of these participants.

The proposed rules define the calculation of generated, shared and sold electricity. The framework guarantees that data is exchanged between suppliers, network operators, and group members, ensuring it is reflected in monthly bills.

Stakeholders were invited to submit their proposals from January 8 until January 22, CMS underscored.