The economy of Bulgaria functions on the principles of the free market, having a large private sector and a smaller public one. Bulgaria is an industrialised high-income country according to the World Bank, and is a member of the European Union (EU), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). The Bulgarian economy has experienced significant growth (538%), starting from $13.15 billion and reaching estimated gross domestic product (GDP) of $86 billion or $203 billion, GDP per capita of $31,148, average gross monthly salary of 2,009 leva, and average net monthly salary of $2,102 (2022). The national currency is the lev, pegged to the euro at a rate of 1.95583 leva for 1 euro. The lev is the strongest and most stable currency in Eastern Europe.
Stara Zagora is a city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province and municipality. Its located in the Upper Thracian Plain, being near the cities of Kazanlak, Plovdiv, Sliven. Its population is around 158,563, making it the sixth largest city, just below Ruse and above Pleven.
NLC India Limited (NLC) is a central public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India. It annually produces about 30 million tonnes of lignite from opencast mines at Neyveli in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and at Barsingsar in Bikaner district of Rajasthan state. The lignite is used at pithead thermal power stations of 3640 MW installed capacity to produce electricity. Its joint venture has a 1000 MW thermal power station using coal. Lately, it has diversified into renewable energy production and installed 1404 MW solar power plant to produce electricity from photovoltaic (PV) cells and 51 MW electricity from windmills.
The Public Power Corporation S.A. is the largest electric power company in Greece. PPC acquired Enel Romania from the Italian Enel group for €1.24 billion on October 25, 2023.
The AES Corporation is an American utility and power generation company. It owns and operates power plants, which it uses to generate and sell electricity to end users and intermediaries like utilities and industrial facilities. AES is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and is one of the world's leading power companies, generating and distributing electric power in 15 countries and employing 10,500 people worldwide. AES Corporation is a global Fortune 500 power company. AES Ranks in the Top Ten of Fast Company's 2022 Best Workplaces for Innovators.
Radnevo is a town in southern Bulgaria, part of Stara Zagora Province, located in the eastern Upper Thracian Lowlands. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Radnevo Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 13,384 inhabitants.
The Maritsa is a river that runs through the Balkans.
Galabovo is a town in south-central Bulgaria, part of Stara Zagora Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Galabovo Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 8,404 inhabitants.
Energy in Bulgaria is among the most important sectors of the national economy and encompasses energy and electricity production, consumption and transportation in Bulgaria. The national energy policy is implemented by the National Assembly and the Government of Bulgaria, conducted by the Ministry of Energy and regulated by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission. The state-owned company Bulgarian Energy Holding owns subsidiaries operating in different energy sectors, including electricity: Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, Maritsa Iztok 2 Thermal Power Plant, NEK EAD and Elektroenergien sistemen operator (ESO); natural gas: Bulgargaz and Bulgartransgaz; coal mining: Maritsa Iztok Mines. The state holds a 100% stake in the holding company. In Bulgaria, energy prices for households are state-controlled, while commercial electricity prices are determined by the market.
Kovachevo is a village in southern Bulgaria, located in the municipality of Radnevo in the Stara Zagora Province.
Bulgaria is an industrialized nation with a developed heavy and light manufacturing industry. In 2007 industry accounted for 31.7% of the country's GDP. This makes industry the second largest sector of the economy after services. In 2007 the sector employed 33.6% of the labour force.
Varna Thermal Power Plant is located on the northern shore of the Lake Varna near the village of Ezerovo at 12 km to the west of Varna, eastern Bulgaria. It was bought by the Czech energy company CEZ Group.
Enel Russia is a Russian power generation company created by the reorganization of RAO UES, a former united power company of Russia. The company is registered in Yekaterinburg and its headquarters are in Moscow. The Italian Enel Group owns a majority stake of the company (56%).
Agios Dimitrios Power Station is a power plant located near Agios Dimitrios, Kozani, Greece, situated between the towns of Kozani and Ellispontos village. In terms of its location in relation to a metropolis, the plant lies 140 kilometres (87 mi) west of Thessaloniki, a major city in northern Greece.
Rovinari Coal Mine is an open-pit mining exploitation, the largest in Romania, located in Rovinari, Gorj County. The legal entity managing the Rovinari mine is the National Company of Lignite Oltenia which was set up in 1997.
Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD is a state owned energy holding company in Bulgaria. It was incorporated on 18 September 2008 after renaming Bulgargaz Holding EAD. In November 2009, the Bulgarian Government decided to list the company at the Bulgarian Stock Exchange – Sofia.
Mátra Power Plant, is a lignite fired power plant majority owned by MVM, the Hungarian state owned power company since 2019. It is located in the valley of the Mátra mountains, in Hungary. It has an installed electric power output of 950 MW, however, one 200 MW generator has been on permanent hiatus since January 2021. According to the latest government energy strategy, most of the existing lignite-fuelled units will be shut down in 2025, and a new 500 MW gas-fired unit will be added as well as up to 400 MW in solar power.
Amyntaio Power Station is a 600 MW coal-fired power station near Amyntaio in Western Macedonia, Greece. Build and commissioned in the mid 1980s, the power station is fuelled by lignite from the adjacent Amyntaio coal mine.
Energetický a průmyslový holding, a.s. (EPH) is a Czech Republic (Prague) based company currently investing mainly in the energy sector in Europe, founded in 2009. The group's business lines covers the complete value chain ranging from highly efficient cogeneration, power generation, and natural gas transmission, gas storage, gas and electricity distribution and supply. The majority owner is Czech entrepreneur and lawyer Daniel Křetínský (94%), who is ranked among the richest Czechs in the long term and according to Forbes he became a dollar billionaire in 2017. The remaining 6% is distributed among selected managers of EPH. EPH employs almost 25.000 people and comprises over 50 companies.
