“Wind Energy in Bulgaria: Getting back on track”
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Venue: Sheraton Hotel Sofia Balkan, Sofia, Bulgaria
The fourth edition of the official Bulgarian wind industry event, organised by EWEA in cooperation with the Association of Producers of Ecological Energy (APEE) and the Bulgarian Wind Energy Association (BGWEA).
Programme and presentations
Once perceived as a country with significant potential for the development of wind power, Bulgaria has been grappling with unhelpful policies and the prospects for the industry now look quite bleak. This is happening while regional competitors Turkey and Romania have maintained a political willingness to support wind power. The lack of resolve to jump-start the Bulgarian market will undoubtedly mean notable job losses and a foregone opportunity for Bulgaria to establish itself as a regional hub for the wind industry. The objective of the workshop was to take stock of the situation and identify the first steps to be taken to turn the situation around.
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Session One |
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Velizar Kiriakov, Chairman, Association of Producers of Ecological Energy – APEE, Bulgaria (PDF) |
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Sebastian Noethlichs, Executive Director, Bulgarian Wind Energy Association – BGWEA |
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Pierre Tardieu, Regulatory Affairs Advisor – Member States & Trade, European Wind Energy Association – EWEA, Belgium |
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Session Two |
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Bulgaria is facing serious instability with regards to market conditions and in particular its support scheme. In addition to increasing challenges with grid connection and administrative procedures, the unpredictable nature of the Feed-in Tariffs is making investment decisions virtually impossible. This session looked at the details of the issues, discuss consequences for the industry and suggested ways forward to deal with the political uncertainty. Chair: Teodor Bobochikov, General Manager, AES, Bulgaria |
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Diana Koleva, Lawyer, Energy Lawyers, Bulgaria |
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Kostadinka Todorova, Chairwoman, Alliance for Sustainable Development, Bulgaria |
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Dimitar Enchev, General Manager, Continental Wind Partners, Bulgaria |
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Impact on the current situation on a turbine manufacturer (PDF) |
Pavel Marinikov, Director Sales Bulgaria, Vestas Central Europe |
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Session Three |
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The development of wind power is highly dependent on a good cooperation with the Transmission System Operator as well as the regulator to create the conditions for wind power integration. Presenters discussed these challenges and the conditions necessary to maximize integration of wind power in the grid. Chair: Mariyana Yaneva, Deputy Executive Director, Bulgarian Wind Energy Association- BGWEA |
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Assessing legal challenges to grid-connection of wind power projects (PDF) |
Mariya Mihaleva, Attorney at Law, Schoenherr, Bulgaria |
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Sebastian Noethlichs, Executive Director, Bulgarian Wind Energy Association – BGWEA |
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Iván Pineda, Research Officer, European Wind Energy Association – EWEA, Belgium |
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Session four |
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As wind energy investments are winding down in Bulgaria this has a very concrete impact on the supply chain, on job creation and entails loss of tax revenue for the State. EWEA introduced the discussion by sharing some analysis about the positive effects of investing in the wind industry at European level, followed by a broader perspective on this issue from an NGO representative and a presentation of the job creation potential of the industry in Bulgaria. Chair: Asen Nenov, Editor-in-Chief, EnergyOnline.bg |
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Pierre Tardieu, Regulatory Affairs Advisor – Member States and Trade, European Wind Energy Association – EWEA, Belgium |
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No half measures – Investment needs in energy efficiency and renewables in the SEE countries (PDF) |
Genadi Kondarev, Bankwatch Bulgaria |
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Vasil Rashev, EWS Consulting, Bulgaria |
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Background reading |
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Economic Perspective of the Development of Renewable Energy in Bulgaria (PDF) |
Anton Yordanov, PhD student, University of National and World Economy, Sofia |
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