Bulgaria has warned Greece it faces an energy shock after the EU acceding country shuts two of its nuclear units next January.

Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov announced Sunday that due to units 3 and 4's shutdown, brokered under EU pressure, the Bulgarian export of energy will drop drastically from current record 9 billion kWh to 1,5 billion kWh, Rumen Bahov from Darik News reported.

In this situation Greece will appear in a very grave situation, as it meets the country's needs with energy bought from Bulgaria, Ovcharov explained in Plovdiv, while officiating a renovated substation in the second largest city.

"I have warned my Greek colleagues that due to the coming closure of units 3 and 4 of Kozloduy nuclear power plant, Bulgaria will be unable to sustain its current energy export," Minister Ovcharov told journalists.

The cut in energy export, set as a prerequisite to Sofia to join the Union, will deprive the national exchequer from 5% of its export revenues. Ovcharov made clear it will also affect negatively the National Electricity Company (NEC), which is cashing in revenues mainly from export.

The energy principal sees few, but still workable options for Bulgaria to make up with this deficit. Those include the introduction of new facilities, ongoing usage of facilities under rehabilitation, and the commissioning of Belene nuclear power plant as soon as possible.

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