site.btaPayment Period for Home Electricity Bills Extended to 30 Days

April 30 (BTA) - As of Thursday, the payment period for home electricity bills has been extended to 30 days from 20 days now, Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova told a news briefing.

She recalled that the payment period for home utility bills was extended from 10 to 20 days after a state of emergency was declared on March 13. About 70 per cent of bills were paid without delay and of them, 26 per cent were paid in the second half of the period, meaning that this measure is effective, she added.

More than 10,700 rescheduling agreements have been signed with individual customers.

The electricity distribution companies have effected nearly 100 per cent of their payments to the National Electricity Company, which in turn has paid up its obligations to electricity producers. The energy system is financially stable, which has made it possible to extend the payment period by a further 10 days to 30 days, said Petkova.

Work on all the major strategic projects in Bulgaria is in progress, she said. The pandemic changed the communication channels concerning the Belene nuclear power plant. The five shortlisted companies signed confidentiality agreements ten days ago and each of them was sent an Information Memorandum on Wednesday.

Work on the other two major infrastructure projects, Balkan Stream and the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, is under way in strict keeping with the safety measures.

Commenting complaints about high heating bills by customers of Sofia's heating utility, Petkova said the energy regulator is already checking the bills. Natural gas is over 40 per cent cheaper and people should rest assured that the price difference will be factored in, said the Energy Minister. RI/DD

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