Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 31, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 31, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
Bulgaria’s caretaker Energy Minister announced that Bulgaria will be the first EU member to launch an energy‑aid scheme covering 50% of extra electricity costs above €63/MWh for energy‑intensive industries, retroactive to July 1, 2025, backed by €125 million from the Energy System Security Fund.
March 31 (Reuters) - Bulgaria will become the first European Union member state to introduce a dedicated support scheme for energy-intensive industries, as part of measures to offset the impact of the energy crisis triggered by the war in Iran.
Speaking at a government briefing on Friday, Energy Minister Traicho Traikov said the scheme, now in the final stage of European Commission approval, is expected to launch within two to three weeks.
Under the plan, the government will reimburse 50% of additional electricity costs when market prices exceed 63 euros per megawatt hour, with the measure applied retroactively from July 1, 2025.
Traikov said regulated household electricity tariffs remain unchanged and that current price levels pose no immediate concern, describing the measures as precautionary and citing Bulgaria's largely domestic power production.
The scheme is backed by 125 million euros ($143.36 million)from the Energy System Security Fund for the period July 2025 to June 2026. With electricity prices in the past year remaining relatively contained, authorities estimate limited spending under the new mechanism in 2026.
($1 = 0.8719 euros)
(Reporting by Alex Lefkowitz; Writing by Antonis Pothitos; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Bulgaria's new scheme will reimburse energy-intensive industries for 50% of extra electricity costs when market prices exceed 63 euros per megawatt hour.
The energy-aid scheme is expected to launch within two to three weeks, pending final European Commission approval.
The scheme targets energy-intensive industrial sectors and does not impact regulated household electricity tariffs.
125 million euros have been allocated from the Energy System Security Fund for the period July 2025 to June 2026.
Yes, the measure will be applied retroactively from July 1, 2025.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
