Bulgargaz has submitted a proposal to raise Bulgaria’s regulated wholesale gas price for September to around €41.60/MWh. The company linked the adjustment to stronger expected demand and a less favourable supply mix. The proposed level is 5.5% higher than the approximately €39.40/MWh approved for August.
August’s regulated price was itself up 4.5% from July, which would extend the upward movement in Bulgaria’s regulated gas benchmark into a second consecutive month. Bulgargaz CEO Georgi Tatarski said the September level would still be more than €22/MWh below prices on European exchanges and Bulgaria’s Balkan Gas Hub .
Demand outlook revision behind September calculation
The latest pricing calculation follows a change in demand expectations. Several district-heating companies that had previously asked for reductions in their contracted gas volumes later withdrew those requests after revising anticipated consumption higher.
This update coincides with procurement conditions that Bulgargaz described as less advantageous. While Azerbaijani gas remains the cheapest source within the supplier’s portfolio, its share of total supply has decreased, raising the relative contribution of more expensive volumes .
Regulated benchmark implications across Bulgarian market participants
The final regulatory decision on the September level is expected to affect more than Bulgargaz alone because its regulated wholesale price serves as an important benchmark across Bulgaria’s market. District-heating companies are among the most directly exposed users, with distribution businesses and industrial consumers also referencing the regulated level when assessing procurement costs.
The revision also underscores that Bulgaria’s domestic wholesale price depends both on movements in European gas markets and on how Bulgargaz’s portfolio is composed during each pricing period. It further reflects the proportion of lower-priced Azerbaijani supply available within that portfolio for the relevant pricing window .
