The 33% increase in the price of natural gas will not lead to higher electricity and district heating bills for households. This was stated by Konstantin Prodanov, chairman of the parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee.
“Under no circumstances will the increase in the price of natural gas affect electricity or heating bills. The government has already made such a commitment, and we are reaffirming it now,” Prodanov said.
Compensation until the end of the heating season
According to him, electricity and district heating bills will remain unchanged until the end of the current heating season, which ends in late June 2027.
Prodanov pointed out that compensatory mechanisms have been provided for this purpose, including through the Energy System Security Fund. He said that measures are also in place to support businesses at certain electricity price levels.
“The election campaign is over; it would be good for the lies to stop,” Konstantin Prodanov commented.The dispute over the EWRC decision
The chairman of the Budget Committee said that the decision to increase the price of natural gas had been made by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission. He described as untenable the claims that the government could control the timing of the decision or influence the independent regulator.
Prodanov accused opposition forces of using the increase in gas prices for political attacks and manipulative insinuations following the presidential election.
He also said that even after the increase, the price of natural gas in Bulgaria remains 40% lower than that on the international exchange. According to him, the opposition is conflating the market price of gas with the regulated prices for end household consumers of heating and electricity.