BTA :: Energy Poverty in Bulgaria Remains Underdiscussed

Energy Poverty in Bulgaria Remains Underdiscussed – NGO

Antoan Nikolov

BTA Photo

Sofia,

06.12.2024 11:28

(BTA)

Energy poverty and energy insecurity are important topics because many people in Bulgaria are still not ready to talk about the problem and to identify themselves as energy vulnerable, Elitsa Kapusheva, a member of the Orion Grid NGO team, told journalists.

The first big event in the “Women in Solidarity for Energy” (WISE) project starts on Friday, Kapusheva said. Orion Grid supports activists as well as formal and informal organizations working on the issue of energy poverty. The project is co-funded by the European Commission, and the part implemented in Bulgaria is also supported by the European Climate Foundation.

The WISE event, held at the Boyana Residence, brought together participants from over twenty countries. Some of the guests will participate as panellists or lead practical workshops. Among them are human rights defenders and experts who work with homeless people and institutions offering social housing. One of the key panels is dedicated to the topic "Is energy a human right?"

Kapusheva stressed that the topic of energy poverty is extremely important. However, there are no accurate statistics on the number of people affected in Bulgaria. "Since last year, Bulgaria has had a definition of energy poverty, but it is very difficult to use in practice," she said, adding that the reasons are many, including factors such as the number of people in a household and their income. She explained that people who are vulnerable to energy poverty are either experiencing economic hardship or having problems securing adequate energy.

This year Orion Grid is launching the WISE project, a two-year initiative that will work at local, national and pan-European level. The project combines awareness-raising, knowledge-building and solidarity-strengthening activities to eradicate energy poverty and insecurity, issues that disproportionately impact groups in society, including refugees and migrants in Europe.

The project aims to mobilize both people affected by energy poverty and those working for change - including energy cooperatives. "It is very useful that we are working with colleagues from other countries where consumer access to energy is liberalized, which in the Bulgarian case can lead to many problems for the most vulnerable people," Kapusheva said.

/DD/