Bulgarian electricity production reached 26,906 GWh between 1 January and 9 August, up 7.8% year on year. Over the same period, consumption increased by 6.8% to 25,046 GWh. The resulting trade surplus was 1,860 GWh, compared with 1,511 GWh in the corresponding 2025 period.
Renewables rise across transmission and distribution connections
Renewable generation delivered through the transmission system climbed by 16.1% to 2,936 GWh. Renewable output connected at distribution level increased by 6.2% to 2,723 GWh. The figures cover the same early-August timeframe referenced for overall production and consumption.
Hydropower output expands sharply year on year
Hydropower production rose sharply to 3,396 GWh, compared with 1,811 GWh a year earlier. The stronger year-to-date comparison does not indicate that water conditions are currently normal across the region. It does leave Bulgaria with a stronger accumulated generation position than many neighbouring markets.
Batteries and interconnection flows shift with surplus and storage
The combination of a generation surplus and rapidly expanding storage increases Bulgaria’s role in regional balancing. Bulgaria can absorb Greek and domestic solar during low-priced hours, store part of that energy and release it when Romanian, Serbian or North Macedonian systems are short. This affects how interconnection capacity is used across the region.
The historic north-south pattern, under which Bulgarian thermal and nuclear output moved towards Greece, is becoming more dynamic. Cheap Greek solar can flow north at midday, while Bulgarian batteries and thermal units can reverse the direction during the evening.
