Bulgaria ranks 70th out of 129 countries in the 2013 edition of the Energy Sustainability Index of the World Energy Council.

The top ten positions in the ranking are occupied by European countries, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) informs.

The ranking uses the following criteria: energy security, energy equity, environmental impact, energy affordability, population with access to electricity, energy intensity, emission intensity, etc.

Bulgaria ranks 108th by environmental sustainability, 26th by energy security, and 77th by energy equity.

Bulgaria's balance score is ACD, and by this indicator Bulgaria is last but one among the EU countries, followed by Malta with BCD.

The highest balance score is AAA, which has been awarded to Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Spain, while the lowest score is DDD, which has been given to Zimbabwe and Benin.

Bulgaria is estimated to have a high level of energy security, a mediocre amount of energy equity, and does a poor job in mitigating its environmental impact, according to the report.

"Energy security, the strongest of all dimensions, improves as the country further increases its reserve oil stocks. The electricity fuel mix remains well-balanced, using a diverse mix of conventional thermal, nuclear, and renewable sources," the report of the World Energy Council says.

"Energy equity performance remains lackluster, with comparatively high levels of household spending on electricity services. Environmental sustainability remains Bulgaria's weakest dimension, with high energy and emission intensity, comparatively poor air and water quality, and high CO2 emissions from electricity generation," the report says.

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