For the fourth consecutive day, efforts continue to restore power to over 100 settlements across Bulgaria, where wet snow from Christmas has caused widespread outages. Thousands of families in the Gabrovo region remain without electricity, with around 50 villages affected in the municipality and about 100 in the broader area. In some locations, water supplies have also been disrupted due to the lack of electricity for pumping stations, and mobile network communication has been interrupted.

Frustration among residents is growing. Protests are being organized in front of the energy company's building, with some locals accusing the provider of failing to address the crisis adequately. A resident of the Gabrovo village of Sabotkovtsi has even initiated a petition calling for the revocation of the license of the electricity distribution company, "Energo Pro." The Gabrovo municipality has sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Energy, demanding immediate action to restore normal conditions in the affected areas.

The Lovech region is also struggling with prolonged outages, with four villages in the Ugarchin municipality without power for the fourth day. Similarly, dozens of villages in the Elena Balkan and areas near Veliko Tarnovo continue to experience disruptions in electricity, water supplies, and mobile communications. Efforts to restore water to Svishtov have seen gradual progress after repairs to the main water supply.

In Troyan, severe winter conditions have left five settlements still without electricity, following temporary restoration efforts that were undone by subsequent outages. Snow accumulation, reaching up to 95 centimeters in some areas, has hampered recovery efforts. Tourism-dependent locations, like the village of Chiflik, are using generators to keep operations running, though businesses report significant financial losses. Local authorities emphasize that roads in the district have been cleared and sanded, and no additional support has been requested from electricity companies.

The Rhodope Mountains have also been severely impacted, with outages reported in the Plovdiv, Asenovgrad, and Chepelare regions. Repair teams continue their work to address the power grid failures. Meanwhile, Sofia Municipality has had to close roads leading to Vitosha Mountain to clear snow, and penalties have been announced for companies failing to meet their winter maintenance obligations.

Residents have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, and discussions of protests outside energy company offices are gaining momentum. Authorities have called for improved communication and swift resolution of the outages to prevent further disruptions to daily life in these areas.

Sources:

• Bulgarian National Television (BNT)
• Bulgarian National Radio (BNR)
• Nova TV