Nomad Capital Group has asked Bulgaria’s competition authority to approve its proposed acquisition of the companies that own and operate the Maritsa East 3 thermal power plant. The request is aimed at obtaining clearance for a transfer of control over the asset. The filing is linked to a deal involving ContourGlobal’s interests in the station.
The notification submitted to the Commission on Protection of Competition covers ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 and ContourGlobal Operations Bulgaria. The regulator said the transaction could affect Bulgaria’s electricity generation and trading markets. It also opened a seven-day window for comments from interested parties .
Transaction coverage and ownership structure
The application follows an agreement announced earlier in the year under which ContourGlobal would sell its 73% interest in the lignite-fired power station to the Bulgarian investor. State-controlled National Electricity Company, or NEK, holds the remaining 27%. The competition review is presented as the next formal step in completing the change in control.
Nomad Capital Group was incorporated in Sofia in March 2026. It is wholly owned by Nomad Energy Company, which is a licensed Bulgarian electricity and natural gas trader. The authority’s assessment will consider how linking the generation asset with a company connected to an active energy trader could affect market conditions.
Competition authority assessment scope
The Commission on Protection of Competition will evaluate whether combining the generation asset with an entity linked to an active energy trader could materially affect competition. The focus includes domestic power production and wholesale trading. This assessment is part of the clearance process for the proposed acquisition.
The regulator’s notice indicates that the transaction could have implications across both electricity generation and trading activities. Interested parties were given a seven-day period to submit comments following publication of the notification .
