Companies in Stara Zagora temporarily stop work due to high electricity prices

Several companies in the South Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora stopped work on July 4. Plant owners point out that the measure is due to the high price of electricity on the free energy market. The worry of the business is that if the market is not regulated, business insolvencies will follow.

Three metal processing enterprises in Stara Zagora halted part of their production today. The reason is that the cost of electricity that companies buy from the free market today is 132 BGN per megawatt per hour and it turns out to be unaffordable for them to pay.

Stoyan Nachev: In this situation, our production prices are go up a lot, and we have fixed-price contracts and we have to stop because we are starting to lose money, which may result in an inevitable bankruptcy.

Eng. Zhivko Petrov: At present, our company has long-term contracts, for two, three, four years, with end customers, where the price is not subject to change.

Owners had to let workers on leave.

Stoyan Nachev: Workers are released from work at the moment until the prices are normalized. The problem is that when you do not work you cannot get a salary, and that will affect the finances of our families.

Employers urge the state to intervene in solving the problem. Otherwise, they are alarming about large losses and possible bankruptcies.