Former Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev has proposed a 10-fold increase in the minimum fine for power distributors failing to observe the 31-day metering deadline.

Dobrev, MP from center-right party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) and chair of the parliamentary energy committee, explained Monday that the fine could be increased from BGN 20 000 to BGN 200 000 through Energy Act amendments.

He specified that the increase in the penalty could be introduced between the first and second reading of the proposed set of legal changes.

Dobrev gave a press conference in Haskovo on the occasion of the simultaneous issuance of two bills with a coinciding due date to customers of power distributor Energo-Pro.

Dobrev, as cited by the Focus news agency, described the practice as inadmissible.

He said that the current amount of the fine stood at BGN 20 000 – BGN 1 M, with the energy watchdog deciding on the amount of the penalty.

Bulgaria’s former Energy Minister noted hat the current case reminded of the situation in end-2012, when a large number of Bulgarians had been served electricity bills for periods of 40-50 days.

The exorbitant electricity bills triggered mass protests across the country and eventually caused the center-right GERB government to resign.

Dobrev declared that he had summoned an extraordinary meeting of the parliamentary energy committee on Tuesday, adding that representatives of the three power distributors would be asked to account for all such cases of delayed electricity bills and coinciding payment deadlines.

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