TPP electricity will continue to be an important part of the energy mix in the next 20 years

June 16, 2017

“Electricity from Thermal power plants will continue to be a very important part of Bulgaria’s energy mix over the next 20 years”, stated Olivier Marquette, President of AES Bulgaria, during the conference “Strategic Infrastructure and Investments – Bulgaria 2017“, organized by City Media Group.

During the continuously frigid weather in January, the TPPs operated at full power 24 hours a day to cover the electricity needs and avoid power outages. TPP AES Galabovo generated about 10% of the total electricity supplied during the month of January 2017, and operated with a reliability of above 99%.

“The future belongs to renewable energy and its price will continue to decrease”, Marquette said, noting that over the past 5-6 years there has been a significant change in the need for investment in the construction of wind and solar parks, which has contributed toward their strong global growth. India, for example, is currently positioning itself as one of the leaders in solar power production.

“The development of renewable energy in the future is directly related to energy storage solutions, and AES is one of the World’s leaders in this segment”, Marquette said. He also noted that the company has more than 400 MW of capacity in operation or under construction so far. “Energy storage solutions ensure the conservation of energy when there is overproduction of electricity and the option to use it in times of shortage”, he explained.

“The liberalization of the energy market is a necessary step, which will not only bring Bulgaria closer to the European energy market, but will also add transparency to the system and ensure adequate prices for the end users”, said Olivier Marquette, stating that AES Bulgaria fully supports the government’s efforts in this direction.

Among the participants in the 12th annual conference were the Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova, the Deputy Minister of Energy Zhecho Stankov, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski, the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Nikolay Nankov, the Minister of Environment and Water Neno Dimov and the CEO of BEH Petyo Ivanov.