Heating and hot water in Studentski Grad and the other districts of Sofia that are still without heating should be restored within two to three weeks. This was announced by Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev. According to him, the reasons for the delay are scheduled repairs and breakdowns in the district heating network.
“Toplofikatsia’s commitment is to complete these repairs within the next two to three weeks; unfortunately, breakdowns are occurring,” Terziev said.
The mayor said that more than 80 kilometres of the network would be repaired over the past two years. By comparison, in previous years the sections renovated amounted to between 7 and 10 kilometres. The total length of Sofia’s district heating network is around 1,300 kilometres, and according to Terziev, it has not been maintained to the necessary extent for decades.
According to Terziev, investments worth hundreds of millions are needed to restore “Toplofikatsia Sofia.” He said that Sofia Municipality and the state must find a solution both for financing the upgrades and for the company’s debt.
The mayor believes that the first step should be an independent assessment of the condition of “Toplofikatsia Sofia,” commissioned by the Sofia Municipal Council. A decision on the company’s future development should then be made.
“More than 80 kilometres will have been repaired over the past two years; in previous years, for comparison, it was between 7 and 10 kilometres,” Terziev said.