Atanas Georgiev

Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" · Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

This study uses data from diverse scientific and government sources in order to evaluate the impact of unconventional shale gas development on Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine in terms of economics, policy, and interdependence. In addition, the study is exploring a number of factors, related to shale gas controversies in the three countries, as well...

This report explores the potential and the obstacles before the decentralization of electricity supply in Bulgaria. With the ongoing phase-out of the first generation of state-support measures to developing renewables, Bulgarian policy-makers have been late to define new ways to fosterthe decarbonisation of the electricity system while maintaining...

Arriving at a global consensus regarding the world’s low-carbon future looks imminent. Global leaders are taking decisive steps in compliance with the Paris Agreement: Europe is leading the way through its European Green Deal, the United States through the actions of its new administration, and even China is stepping up its carbon-related policies...

Настоящият анализ цели да подпомогне един бъдещ процес на решителни реформи в политиките за сигурност и промотиране на модерни инструменти за оценка на рискови фактори и превантивни действия от страна на съответните секторни институции. Анализът е насочен към практики в управлението от страна на държавата и нейните институции и се прицелва в мащабн...

The cascading crises at the beginning of the 2020s pose new threats and require new European and regional cooperation solutions, in a new global security context. The COVID-19 pandemic from 2020, the partial recovery accompanied by increased energy consumption, combined with European (and global) price shocks in the energy and other resources marke...

Идентифицирането на дефицитите по отношение управлението на рисковете е предпоставка и за дефинирането на следните препоръки: 1) Укрепване на институционалната независимост на регулаторните агенции чрез подобряване на формалните аспекти – бюджет, начин на избор, мандати и др., както и на неформалните – въздържане от политическа намеса в тяхната раб...

Following the Poznan Summit in July 2019, the EU is committed to setting up a Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, mirroring the Green Deal. The aim of this analysis is to explore what would be the role of natural gas until 2030 and beyond in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, given the differences in...

The establishment and the emancipation of independent national energy regulatory authorities (ERA) is an ongoing process and it will be supported by the legislative package ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’, if it is adopted. In that scenario, national ERAs would predominantly deal with retail market issues resulting from the ongoing market liberali...

INTEGRATING RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES IN A LIBERALIZED ELECTRICITY MARKET During the liberalization of the national electricity markets in the European Union, the energy market faces new challenges related to the increasing share of renewables in the mix. The rise of renewable energy sources and their participation in the wholesale markets through p...

Настоящият доклад анализира потенциалните ползи и пречките пред децентрализацията на електроснабдяването в България. Въпреки посте- пенното отпадане на досегашните държавни стимули за развитието и експлоатацията на електроцентрали, използващи възобновяеми енергий- ни източници, държавата няма готовност да ги замени с нови схеми за подпомагане на де...

This policy paper is a result of a two-year research project exploring state capture through large energy infrastructure projects, with a specific focus on the case of the South Stream pipeline project (SSPP). The paper offers a set of policy recommendations that would help in the prevention and countering of state capture through the energy sector...

The Third Energy Package (TEP), presented in 2009, had several goals, united under one vision – to increase the transparency in retail energy markets for the benefit of consumers. In order to do this, the TEP relied on grids unbundling, strengthening the independence of national energy regulators, and ultimately – more competition, so that consumer...

The analysis focuses on the SSGPP from the perspective of the state capture concept. State capture is perceived as a special form of corruption, in which private interests overtake state functions without damaging the wholeness of state institutions structure-wise. The phenomenon entails seizing state mechanisms from within and retailoring them in...

The book "Economics of Energy Resources" is suitable for students, doctoral students, and lecturers in Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programs in political science, economics, business, and technical faculties. The book may also be interesting for experts and managers in state institutions and regulatory agencies, NGOs and think-tanks, business and p...

What would be the outcome of the DG Competition’s case against the Bulgarian Energy Holding and why is the divestiture of the national transmission grid a real option?

The Energy Union Strategy, announced by the Vice-President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic on February 25, 2015, makes us ask ourselves what does it mean for Bulgaria and how we could be part of the change instead of just following it. Sefcovic himself defined it as the “the most ambitious European energy project since the Coal and Steel...

The main purpose of the dissertation is to research the current scientific methodologies for defining the institutional independence of the energy regulatory agencies, to develop them further and to apply them to the national energy regulatory authority Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) in order to identify the needed measures for impro...

Глава 12 - Изследване за перспективите пред добива на шистов газ в България, Румъния и Украйна

Пътят към преструктуриране на електроенергийния отрасъл все още е неясен. През последните години той се развиваше въпреки, а не според приетата енергийна стратегия. Съществуващите дисбаланси в регулирането и финансирането на отрасъла могат да бъдат премахнати, но за целта е необходимо да се направи политически избор за това кои групи от обществото...

During the liberalization of the national electricity markets in the European Union, the nuclear energy sector faces new challenges. The rise of renewable energy sources and their participation in the wholesale markets through power exchanges and bilateral contracts lead to lower prices and intermittency of the system loads. Liberalized markets ten...

The current report explores the challenges, related to the liberalization of the electricity market and its related information activities. The authors analyze the role of the national energy regulatory authority in the communication activities, related to this process, as well as a number of best practices from EU member-states. The authors propos...

With the Energy & Climate package in 2009 the European Union set a bright future for the renewables for the period until 2020. The Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) stipulated a compulsory target for the EU to reach a 20% share of RES in the final energy consumption until 2020. In 2015 it appears that this target will be achieved, even if not...

Modernization of the energy sector is based on continual investment. Integration of new low carbon technologies rests on investments cycles which continually upgrade the energy system. This article explores efforts to keep utility prices low in Bulgaria and Hungary. This article shows despite European Union efforts to roll-out independent regulator...

The political will in the EU was to liberalize the markets for electricity and natural gas in all member-states as of July 1, 2007. Bulgaria, which joined the EU on January 1, 2007, had to be no exclusion. However, the electricity (and gas) markets in the country are still heavily regulated and only as much as 3000 clients, none of them households,...

Примерът на съседни сектори като телекомуникациите създаде големи очаквания и за електроенергийния пазар. Производители и търговци очакваха нови възможности за реализация на електроенергията на вътрешния и регионалния пазар, а потребителите – както стопански, така и битови – по-добри условия, по-високо качество и възможност за избор при закупуванет...

Bulgaria has almost reached in 2014 its target for 16% RES in the final energy consumption, which was set for 2020. This is a result of the choice for administratively-set prices (feed-in tariffs) and long-term contracts, which was made in two consecutive versions of the national RES law. This choice has to be altered in order to balance the green...

Тази книга съдържа лекциите по дисциплината „Регулирани услуги, пазари и ценообразуване”, преподавани на студентите от магистърската програма „Икономика и управление в енергетиката, инфраструктурата и комуналните услуги” в Стопанския факултет на Софийския университет „Св. Климент Охридски”. Броят на главите в книгата, както и обхватът на темите, съ...

Sector regulatory authorities are a relatively new type of government institution. The real rise in regulation of energy and public services is from the 1980s with the rise of liberal ideas in the USA and the United Kingdom. Researchers point out, that independence of regulatory agencies is a source of institutional power. Two major types of regula...

If Bulgaria was located on a remote and isolated island in the ocean, far from the rest of the world, the big questions about its national energy sector would probably receive clearer and quicker answers. Shale gas extraction, construction of a new nuclear power, diversified natural gas supplies would have different alternatives, probably with less...

The independent regulatory agencies currently balance interests in telecommunications, energy, finances, etc. The question of their formal and informal independence is a constant concern among experts and sector representatives. The current article reviews the main aspects of formal independence of national regulatory agencies and presents a method...

Energy regulatory agencies have a significant role in the restructuring of the electricity and natural gas markets. The role of the regulator is to direct, regulate and monitor the processes of liberalization and competition improvement. The current report is focused on “Independence of the energy sector regulatory agencies“. The EU defines the rol...

Местният добив е само един от елементите на енергийната сигурност. В случая на България, той е отдалечен поне 4-5 години след старта на евентуални дейности по добив на шистов газ. По-непосредствен ефект (до 1-2 години) за енергийната сигурност може да имат целенасочените действия за построяване на интерктори със съседните страни.

Bulgaria has to decide whether to finish the construction of the Russian-made nuclear power plant Belene, which was started in the 1980s and halted in 1990 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The stakes are high, and not just for Bulgaria. A positive decision would make Belene the first Russian-built atomic energy facility within the borders...

The recent announcement from the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy that US oil company Chevron has been awarded a shale gas exploration license in the north of the country, has brought a new urgency to the long-simmering debate on shale gas in Bulgaria. The Bulgarians are asking themselves whether shale gas would be the best way of achieving greater ene...

Being situated at one of the important crossroads between East and West, Bulgaria is frequently seen as a country that could help to improve the EU’s overall energy security. However, the country has not done much yet to live up to this expectation. As member of the EU, Bulgaria will have to prove itself as a positive factor for European gas securi...

South-East Europe’s energy sector is following the European trend – regional consumption is expected to grow as well, mainly because of economic growth. There are still many aspects of the SEE energy sector that are not clear. The countries in the region have to comply with European requirements and, at the same time, ensure their energy balances....

Bulgaria has a strategic location on the crossroads between the East and the West. In the period between 1945 and 1989 Bulgaria had a centrally-planned economy. After that it witnessed a transition period to market-based economy. In March 2004 the country joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and since January 1st, 2007 it is a full...