Bulgaria launches public consultation on updated National Energy and Climate Plan
Key amendments in the NECP Update include:
- A significantly higher national renewable energy target of 34.96% share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by 2030 (up from approximately 27% in the original NECP) with a 49.34% RES share in gross final electricity consumption;
- Planned addition of 7,160 MW of new RES capacity post-2022, including 5,050 MW of solar photovoltaic and 1,280 MW of onshore wind along with plans for the first offshore wind farms in the Black Sea;
- Proposed spatial restrictions on wind energy development in the Appropriate Assessment Report, including buffer zones of 2 km and 6 km around Natura 2000 protected areas, affecting high-potential regions such as Dobrudzha, the Eastern Rhodopes and parts of the Burgas region, which is a measure that has generated concern among industry stakeholders;
- Designation of priority zones for accelerated wind energy development, prioritising artificial and built-up areas, industrial parks, quarries, waste disposal sites and degraded land, with all administrative permits (e.g. EIA and Natura 2000 compatibility assessments) to be issued within one year.
- Major grid modernisation investments, including the EUR 857 million GREENABLER project for integrating RES into the national transmission network and energy storage facilities totalling approximately 380 MW.
- A coal phase-out roadmap with a target date of no later than 2038, accompanied by territorial just transition plans for affected regions.
The EAR, together with its non-technical summary and supporting annexes (including the Natura 2000 compatibility assessment), will be available to the public from 30 July until 30 August 2026 at MOEW's offices in Sofia and on the Ministry's website. During this period, interested parties may submit written comments and proposals to MOEW.
A public discussion will be held on 31 August 2026 at 11 am at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, chaired by MOEW's Climate Change Policy Directorate and attended by representatives of the assessment team and the independent environmental experts who prepared the EAR.
All interested stakeholders, including environmental experts, renewable energy developers, investors, industry representatives and public authorities are encouraged to take part in the discussion. The consultation will be an opportunity to engage with the environmental assessment underpinning one of the country's most significant strategic energy policy documents.
For more information on this consultation and Bulgaria’s National Energy and Climate Plan, contact your CMS client partner or the CMS experts who contributed to this article.
