"Bulgaria can no longer afford stagnation in the energy sector, regardless of whether the technical or the main government is in control, we all have a responsibility for the future of Bulgaria. Energy is the key to the successful economic development of the country, so it is important for us to ensure the independence and autonomy of our energy system ", - Radev said at the opening of the event.
The head of state expressed hope that the energy strategy presented by the government will receive broad support from political parties and become the basis for the country's energy development in the coming years.
The energy minister of the technical government of the country, Rosen Hristov, who presented the strategy, stressed that a long-term plan for the development of the sector is needed.
"Currently, energy provides a significant share of the state's GDP, last year alone Bulgaria exported electricity worth € 3 billion. Due to the fact that we use local energy sources, including coal and nuclear energy, we do not have such dependence on gas, like a number of other European countries. Our goal is to keep Bulgaria as a European energy leader. Our strategy is to maintain coal-fired thermal power plants until 2030. In nuclear power, we must build four new reactors with a capacity of 2,000 megawatts - at Belene site until 2035 -2040 and at Kozloduy NPP site until 2045," Hristov explained.
The strategy provides for obtaining energy from renewable sources, in particular the development of water, solar and wind energy, the modernization of electrical networks, the improvement of energy saving technologies and other measures.