The government has approved a 2026 budget for the Electricity System Security Fund (FSES), with income of €1.261bn and spending of €1.488bn, the government press office said.
The biggest payments, €846.488m in total, go to National Electricity Company (NEK) and to premium compensation contracts.
The fund will pay €401.041m in compensation to end suppliers. This covers compensation for household customers and for buying power at preferential prices. Another €233.157m is set aside for compensation under programmes the government has approved. Interest on funding for energy efficiency projects comes to €5.113m, and the fund's running costs are €2.027m.
The biggest source of income, €666m, is the sale of greenhouse gas emission allowances. Contributions under Article 36e of the Energy Act are forecast at €202.731m. Money under Article 36d, paragraph 1, points 8, 8a and 11 of the act comes to €392.477m.
The fund has €251.710m at the start of the period. The forecast says €61.619m will be left at the end of 2026.
Energy minister Iva Petrova said earlier the same day that the FSES budget is balanced, the fund is under control and there are no deficits. She said the fund meets its obligations under the law and under current programmes to offset electricity prices, and that income is also on track.
The government press office said the approved budget pays for the tasks the law gives the fund and keeps the energy sector financially stable.
The fund will also get €36.426m from the state budget. The money is transferred through the energy ministry's budget and is written into Bulgaria's 2026 State Budget Act.