site.btaElectrohold Bulgaria CEO: Even Newest, Most Modern Facilities Are Not Immune to Breakdowns Due to Extreme Weather Conditions

The continuous rainfall and wet snow in the conditions of falling temperatures on December 16-17 led to partial power cuts mainly in remote high-mountain areas in southwestern Bulgaria, said Wednesday Electrohold Bulgaria CEO Karel Kral in a BTA interview on the occasion of accidents in Western Bulgaria caused by the snowfall on Saturday and Sunday. "What we witnessed was the continuous increase in snow cover, toppling of trees and icing, which caused hundreds of wires to break, led to damaged insulators, twisted brackets and broken poles."

He noted that every year Electrodistribution Grid West performs preventive maintenance and preparation of all its facilities for operation in the autumn-winter period. “But when it comes to extreme weather conditions that lead to icing of wires and breakage of poles, even the newest and most modern facilities are not immune to breakdowns,” Kral stressed.

The Electrohold Bulgaria CEO pointed out that the company maintains the network in good enough condition as far as the current ceiling of investments approved by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), namely about BGN 100 million per year, allows. It should be borne in mind that over 40% of this amount is used for the connection of new producers and consumers, he said The rest is for the development and reconstruction of medium and low voltage networks - new facilities and substations, metering, etc., added Kral.