Position statement on the draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of the republic of Bulgaria

The first NECP draft is a timid and partial plan to meet climate goals by 2030

Almost six months after the deadline to submit a draft of the updated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), Bulgaria published a first version of the document on 22 December 2023. It is probably a coincidence that this happened one day after the European Commission’s notice of the start of the infringement procedure against Bulgaria as it has not submitted its NECP draft to the Commission within the statutory deadline of 30 June 2023.

The current published NECP version solely presents the current policies and measures in Bulgaria but not how they will change to achieve the national interests in line with the energy transition and achieving a safe climate. 

The good news is that, for the first time, there is mention of a national objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. However, there is a lack of specificity on what needs to happen to achieve the big goal in the period up to 2030 – which is the period covered in the NECP. It is crucial to include interim milestones and capacities/measures for the phase-out of coal mines and power in the NECP, information, which is still missing in the adopted Territorial Just Transitional Plans (TJTPs). 

There are no sectoral targets in the draft and the existing targets for the renewable energy share and energy efficiency are either at the minimum required level or even below it.

We very much hope that once the final draft containing the results of the currently missing modelling is published, sufficient time will be allowed for public consultation – at least 8 weeks!