PRICES OF DISTRICT HEATING AND HOT WATER IN BULGARIA REMAIN UNCHANGED AS OF JANUARY 2017

The prices of hot water and heating will remain unchanged as of 1st of January 2017 despite that the natural gas price will go up by 5%, the Chairperson of Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC), Ivan Ivanov, said on 27th of December.

He said that it was also possible to keep the prices unchanged by the end of the heating season.

The state-run gas supplier Bulgargaz insisted on increase of gas price by nearly 14% as of January 2017. However, the regulator EWRC allowed a 5% increase. The gas supplier estimated that this way it would incur losses to the amount of 35 million BGN in the first quarter of 2017. Sofia District Heating company also said it expected losses and demanded the prices of heating and hot water to go up by at least 2-3%.