Belovo is a town in South West Bulgaria. It is the seat of Belovo Municipality. It is located in Pazardzhik Province, where the Yadenitsa flows into the Maritsa river, at the foot of three mountain ranges, on the western end of the Thracian Plain.
The Nestos, Mesta is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering canyons toward the Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic formations. At the end, the main stream spreads over the coastal plain of Chrysoupolis and expands as a deltaic system with freshwater lakes and ponds forming the Nestos delta. The length of the river is 230 km (140 mi), of which 126 km (78 mi) flow through Bulgaria and the rest in Greece. Its drainage area is 5,184 km2 (2,002 sq mi), of which 66% is in Bulgaria. It forms some gorges in Rila and Pirin. The longest gorge between Pirin to the west and the Rhodope Mountains to the east is the 25-km long Momina Klisura in Bulgaria.
Nuclear power generates about a third of electricity in Bulgaria. Bulgaria's first commercial nuclear reactor began operation in 1974. The Kozloduy NPP operates two pressurized water reactors with a total output of 1906 MW. This makes Bulgaria the 21st-largest user of nuclear power in the world. Construction of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant was officially terminated in March 2012, and a thermal powerplant was supposed to be built on the site. Efforts in May 2018 to restart the Belene project were unsuccessful. As of 2022, Bulgaria plans to construct new reactors at the existing Kozloduy site, and at Belene.
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 completely 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. In Bulgaria, energy prices for households are state-controlled, while commercial electricity prices are determined by the market.
The Ågesta Nuclear Plant was the first Swedish commercial nuclear power plant built by ASEA. Also known as R3 nuclear reactor, it was the third nuclear reactor built in Sweden. Construction started in 1957 and ended in 1962, operations began in 1964 and continued until 1974.
Atomstroyexport (ASE) JSC (Russian: Атомстройэкспорт) is the Russian Federation's nuclear power equipment and service exporter. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Rosatom.
The Kardzhali Hydro Power Plant is an active hydro power near Kardzhali, southern Bulgaria constructed on the dam of the same name on the river Arda. It has 3 individual turbines with a nominal output of around 36 MW which deliver up to 108 MW of power.
Solar power generated 12% of Bulgaria’s electricity in 2023.
In 2021, hydroelectricity generated 11% of Bulgaria’s electricity. As of 2020, the country's total installed electricity capacity was approximately 12,839 MW, with hydropower contributing 25%, or 3,213 MW.
Renewable energy in Taiwan contributed to 8.7% of national electricity generation as of end of 2013. The total installed capacity of renewable energy in Taiwan by the end of 2013 was 3.76 GW.
Momina Klisura is a steep valley along the river Mesta in south-western Bulgaria, stretching about 25 km. Administratively, it is situated in the municipalities of Bansko and Gotse Delchev, Blagoevgrad Province. According to the legend, the gorge was named after a maiden, who fought the Ottoman Turks defending the fortress of Momina Kula and plunged into the abyss upon seeing that the stronghold was about to fall.
The Retizhe is a river in south-western Bulgaria, a right tributary of the Mesta. The river is 19 km long and drains parts of the eastern slopes of the Pirin mountain range.
Wind power in Ukraine is mostly in areas affected by the Russo-Ukrainian War. At the end of 2021 there was 1.7 gigawatts (GW) capacity of electricity in Ukraine was wind power. In 2024 the IEA suggested installing 11 GW more by 2030.
Belovo Municipality is a municipality in the Pazardzhik Province of Bulgaria.
Belmeken is a summit in the northeastern part of the Rila Mountain in southwestern Bulgaria with a height of 2,626 m. It is built up of granite. Its northern slopes are steep and rise over the Kutlinite cirque. The southern and southeastern slopes are oblique. To the southeast at an altitude of 1,923 m is situated the Belmeken Dam which fuels some of Bulgaria's largest hydro power plants — Chaira Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant, Belmeken Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant, Sestrimo Hydro Power Plant and Momina Klisura Hydroelectric Power Station. Close to the summit is the Belmeken High Mountain Sports Complex at an altitude of 2,050 m, used for training, medical and biological research by athletes. The main starting points for climbing are the villages of Yundola and Sestrimo.
The electricity sector in Bulgaria is an important part of energy in Bulgaria and is highly diversified. As of 2021 nuclear power accounts for 34.7% of Bulgaria's power, coal power provides 39.4%, while renewable energy provides 15.8% of the country's electricity needs.
The Belmeken–Sestrimo–Chaira Hydroelectric Cascade is situated in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria and is the largest and most complex hydroelectric complex in the country. Located in the eastern part of the Rila mountain range, the complex receives waters from the drainage basins of the major rivers Maritsa, Struma and Mesta. Its catchment area is 458 km2.
