Residents of Lovech region staged a second protest over the extended electricity crisis that disrupted their holidays. The protest was held outside the local office of the electricity distribution company, Electrohold. This series of power outages began a week ago, leaving hundreds of families in the region without electricity for up to six days. The outages were caused by power lines being severed due to heavy snowfall.

The mayor of Lovech, Stratsimir Petkov, has filed complaints with the Ombudsman, the Minister of Energy, and the electricity distribution company. In addition, a collective lawsuit is being prepared by the affected residents, as many were left without power for days due to damage to the power grid.

The frustration boiled over again on December 30, when protestors blocked part of the Sofia-Varna road near Yablanitsa. Today's demonstration took place in front of the Electrohold office in Lovech. Residents expressed their anger, with some mentioning the new electricity prices and the ongoing issues with power supply. "We had no electricity for 73 hours this time, which ruined our entire holiday," said Stoyan Borichev from Brestovo, a village in the region.

"We're asking for compensation due to the five-day power outage, but we don't think we'll see any," added Velislav Bochevski, deputy mayor of Slivek village. There were also complaints of burnt-out electrical appliances due to the frequent power interruptions. "I still have the complaints from last year when my appliances were damaged," said Koycho Ivanov, another resident.

Despite the ongoing protests, there is currently no settlement in the Lovech region without power. In response to the energy issues, the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) has reduced the water price for Lovech by 0.88%. Residents will now pay 4.85 leva per cubic meter instead of the previous 4.89 leva. However, the water price for Pleven, another city that has experienced a water crisis, will rise to 4.91 leva per cubic meter from 4.46 leva.

As the protests continue, residents are demanding accountability from the electricity providers, but doubts remain over the likelihood of any compensation or meaningful action being taken.

Sources:

• Bulgarian National Television (BNT)
• OFFNews