Bulgaria's outgoing Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova. File photo, BGNES
Outgoing Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova on Monday dispelled claims the country is facing an electricity crisis.
At an emergency briefing following allegations from the opposition on the use of EU funding and the state of Bulgaria's energy sector, Petkova accused the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) of fearmongering and spreading "lies".
Water dams have not been drained out as suggested by the BSP, nor has Bulgaria demanded power supplies from Turkey, Petkova noted.
What Bulgaria demanded earlier in January was that Turkey and Serbia give back the same amount of energy as emergency supplies that authorities in Sofia granted to Ankara and Belgrade over the past few years on various occasions, in the words of Petkova.
This year, January has so far been colder than expected in Bulgaria, with a boost in electricity consumption being recorded that forced authorities to halt power exports to neighboring countries.