Consumers in Bulgaria are not benefiting fully from the development of renewable energy sources (RES) and we are only feeling the problems of the Green Deal, believes Dr. Eng. Dimitar Beleliev, founder of “AmonRa Energy”, specializing in the trade of equipment for small and medium-sized solar companies. Since 2002, he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Energy Repair Base (CERB). He is also Chairman of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association of Electrical Engineering and Electronics (BASEL).
The entire solar system in our country is wrong – we are moving towards large power plants for which we do not have the appropriate climatic conditions, and not towards the facilities that will have the greatest positive effect for consumers – rooftop installations, he commented to Investor.bg . According to the expert, the opposite is true for wind energy – large parks are more efficient and their operation is more stable and predictable, but their development must be carried out with very strict regulation by the state.
The CERB company participated in the construction of the Chaira Nuclear Power Plant and owns the documentation for the facility, but has not yet been invited for consultations regarding the problems there, he also pointed out.
– Mr. Beleliev, a few years ago, the work of “AmonRa”, which is also a public company, began, and its main activity is related to RES. How do you see the development of this sector in our country? A new boom has been observed in the last two years in the solar sector.
– Solar is developing well, but in the wrong direction. Investments are being made in large parks, which is not suitable from the point of view of climatic conditions, as well as for the electricity grid. The weather in our country is very changeable, because we have mountains, rivers and dams, which influence climatic conditions. While in Greece, for example, the solstice is much more constant – it is either sunny or it is raining. Our big mistake is that we do not develop rooftop solar installations.
In them, transmission losses are zero, and problems with balancing the system are also reduced. But in fact, the most important thing is that the beneficiaries are directly households. In reality, consumers in our country do not benefit from the construction of large solar parks, and some of them are on fertile land. That is why the Green Deal is not understood in our country – we only feel the problems from it.
In short, we are moving towards large solar power plants and not only do we not have the right conditions, but we also end up burdening the electricity grid, destroying nature, and consumers gain nothing. The state could have easily directed investor interest towards rooftop installations, but now it simply says: “Do it wherever you want, the important thing is to connect.”
For example, the money under the Recovery Plan could have been used not to expand and increase the voltage of the Electricity System Operator (ESO) network, but to develop photovoltaics in cities, thus eliminating the need to develop the network. Now this money is going to huge parks in the field to be connected to the grid.
And consumers should be producers, and if net metering is introduced, where at the end of the month households only pay the difference between what they have given into the system and what they have received, the investments will pay off very quickly. This is the case in almost all of Europe.
Eng. Dimitar Beleliev
Personal archive
Dr. Eng. Dimitar Beleliev has nearly 30 years of experience as a manager and investor in the energy sector. Since 2002, he has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Central Energy Repair Base (CERB) EAD, as well as other companies in the energy sector. He has participated in the management of Energoremont Holding AD, Energoremont Varna AD and Energoremont Ruse AD. In 2020, he founded AmonRa Energy AD – a certified center for the supply of products and the provision of solutions for solar energy. He graduated from the Technical University of Sofia, with a Master’s degree in Economics with a specialization in Energy Business, from the University of National and World Economy (UNWE). He is the author of a number of publications on topics related to energy security.
– And what is your opinion about wind farms on the coast? This has become a cause for widespread discussion in recent days, there has even been talk of a referendum on their permit.
– Things are not decided by referendum – we have the sad experience of the nuclear power plant. Speaking professionally, there are places where these projects can happen, but this must be done with very good control by the state. Zones can be set aside, there can be requirements that they be far from the beach. Unlike solar, wind is much more effective when done on a scale, and strangely enough, it is more predictable than solar, production is more stable.
People don’t care where the electricity comes from – from solar or conventional power plants, but they want to have cheap, secure and environmentally friendly energy. It’s all a matter of state policy. In places where conditions allow it and there is a need for energy – to organize auctions for capacity allocation and production to be close to consumption. And in general, I support the development of wind energy.
– Do you think that some of the problems in the energy system will be solved with the liberalization of the market? Then there will be no public supplier who is obliged to purchase a certain amount of energy, a supplier will be able to be chosen…
– There is nothing better than the market – the free market cures everything. Currently, with regulated prices for household electricity, everyone is supported, even those who do not really need it – I charge my electric car at home very profitably, but this is not right, it is not market-based. The market should have been freed up for household consumers a long time ago, as it is for industry, and if someone needs support, they should be provided with vouchers, solar panels or energy-efficient appliances, or even wood for heating.
– 70% of AmonRa’s turnover is generated outside Bulgaria – in the Balkans. What do your observations in neighboring countries show regarding the development of the energy system?
– I can say that Greece, for example, is a unique country from an energy point of view – with a complex system because of the islands and large peaks between summer and winter consumption, but on the other hand, very well developed. There is something to learn from them – for example, there, not individual enterprises are privatized, but parts of large enterprises and the state retains its control. Their energy company – PPC, is public and still controlled by the state. There is a symbiosis between private investors who seek profit and the state, which protects the public interest.
– In addition to green energy, you are also connected to the Central Energy Repair Base (CERB). In 2023, the company celebrates its 75th anniversary, but what are the challenges you see ahead of you today?
– Over the years, there has been almost nothing to surprise us in the Balkans, where we develop 60% of our activity. However, in Bulgaria there are surprises – both positive and negative. CERB is a service company that deals with the maintenance of machines and equipment, not only in the energy sector, but also in industry. In other words, we are everywhere and are a litmus test of what is happening in both the energy sector and the industry. There is no industrial enterprise or power plant that does not use our services. From this point of view, we are optimistic – there is work. One of our most serious problems is actually the lack of labor, which is stopping our development in new markets.
– Many industries complain about this problem…
– This is a huge problem for the country, because there is no human resources policy and we, I’m talking about the economy as a whole, are increasingly experiencing a catastrophic need for personnel. Production facilities are starting to close due to the lack of workers. It is also very difficult to import specialists – they will go to the USA or Western Europe, where both salaries and living conditions are different.
– In recent days, the topic has become relevant in energy circles – how is the hydropower sector developing in our country?
– The hydropower sector is developing poorly compared to our neighboring countries. The Greek hydropower sector is 20% larger than the Bulgarian one. We are used to thinking that Bulgaria is the country with rivers, and Greece – with islands. This means that our potential is not being used and exploited properly. In Greece, between 1 and 3 large tenders for maintenance of facilities are announced annually, and in our country – one every 10 years. Repairs are not a whim, but a mandatory part of the work – mandatory repairs must be made after a certain number of hours worked. The reasons for “breaking” the Chaira Hydroelectric Power Plant are that it is improperly operated and not well maintained. This is also confirmed by Energy Minister Rumen Radev. There are no compromises in technology – there are physical and technical processes that go on there, and it simply breaks down if they are not followed.
In our neighboring countries, there is much more correct operation, much better maintenance. For example, CERB participates in the repair tenders in Greece and let it not sound like boasting, but we win almost all of them. We are actively working in North Macedonia (on transformers and metal control), in Kosovo we rehabilitate one turbogenerator in their coal complex every year. By the way, in Bulgaria there has not been a tender for the repair of turbogenerators in the last 10 years, while there it is held every year.
Among our other more interesting projects are several small solar power plants in Albania, as well as several projects in Romania, but they are not related to energy, but to industry. Overall, 60% of our activities are abroad.
– You mentioned the Chaira PAVEC. Has CERB been invited for consultations regarding the problem there?
– No Bulgarian company is participating in the restoration of this facility. Let me remind you – the construction of this power plant was contracted by “socialist Bulgaria” and it envisages Toshiba building the power plant in two stages – it makes the first two generators itself, and for the second two – it builds capacities in several enterprises that will produce part of the equipment and participate in the installation. Then the state’s desire is to acquire part of the technology in order to be able to develop and maintain this enterprise.
Unfortunately, no maintenance was done, but some of the technologies and machines remain in the enterprises that participated – the former machine-building enterprise “Vaptsarov” (Pleven), whose successor today is “VAP Hydro”, which produces the turbines, the “Vasil Kolarov” plant (ZEM), which produces the generators, and CERB, which participated in the installation of the equipment. All three enterprises were state-owned during this period. Today, CERB has all the drawings of the facilities – I am not sure if they are in the National Electric Company (NEK). However, neither of these enterprises, nor Bulgarian scientists from the Technical University, were invited to assess the situation.
– Finally, Mr. Beleliev, you are the Chairman of the Board of BASEL, the organization uniting the interests of electrical engineering and electronics. For years, this sector has been the main one in our exports. What is happening today?
– Our sector has rich traditions and is developing very positively. Since 2016, the industry has been leading in exports every year compared to all other processing industries. On April 11, 2024, in Sofia, in partnership with the Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, we are planning to hold the Business Forum “Electrical Industry 2024”. There we will comment on all the prospects for the sector, trends in digitalization, the green transition, electromobility, as well as good practices from companies will be presented. All who wish to learn about the prospects of the Bulgarian electrical industry are welcome.
