A breath of fresh air: Offshore wind in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is at a pivotal energy transition point as coal's share of electricity generation fell below 30% in 2023. While solar power has grown rapidly, wind energy has stagnated since 2012. The report highlights a technical offshore wind potential of 4.3-5 GW in the maritime exclusive economic zone near Romania, which could lower wholesale power prices by 45% by 2030 if combined with increased onshore wind and better interconnections. To achieve this, the report recommends the swift adoption of a new offshore wind law, the implementation of Contracts-for-Difference (CfDs), and the update of the National Energy and Climate Plan with explicit 2030 targets.

• In 2023, Bulgaria's electricity generation from coal dropped to 28.9%, the first time it has fallen below 30%, while clean power provided 66% of domestic generation.
• Bulgaria's solar capacity grew significantly in 2023, adding over 2 GW to reach a total of 3.9 GW by the end of the year, with generation increasing by 1.4 TWh (68%).
• Wind energy generation in Bulgaria has essentially stalled since 2012 due to grid access constraints, lack of political will, and governance shortcomings.
• The most promising area of Bulgaria's maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near the Romanian border has a technical potential of 4.3-5 GW, with capacity factors of 45-48% and a levelized cost of electricity between EUR 62-90/MWh.
• Developing 1.8 GW of offshore wind, increasing 2030 onshore wind targets to 3.9 GW, and improving interconnections with Greece and Romania could reduce Bulgaria's wholesale power prices by 45% by 2030.
• Bulgaria is one of only three EU member states that had not submitted draft National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) by the mid-2023 deadline, and it is one of three coastal EU countries that have not announced non-binding offshore wind targets.
• The report recommends the adoption of two-sided Contracts-for-Difference (CfDs) to lower capital costs for investors and protect consumers, noting that such schemes are already used in countries like the UK, Poland, and Greece.

APA

Czyżak, P. (2024). A breath of fresh air: Offshore wind in Bulgaria. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-breath-of-fresh-air-offshore-wind-in-bulgaria

Chicago

Czyżak, Paweł. A breath of fresh air: Offshore wind in Bulgaria. Ember, 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-breath-of-fresh-air-offshore-wind-in-bulgaria.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Czyżak |first1=Paweł |title=A breath of fresh air: Offshore wind in Bulgaria |publisher=Ember |date=20 February 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-breath-of-fresh-air-offshore-wind-in-bulgaria |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{czyak2024breath, author = {Czyżak, Paweł}, title = {{A breath of fresh air: Offshore wind in Bulgaria}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/a-breath-of-fresh-air-offshore-wind-in-bulgaria}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }