FORECAST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOTAL ENERGY BALANCE IN

The long-term energy forecast for the Republic of Bulgaria is intended to support the provision for the national economy normal functioning and ensuring with energy the households sector, while meeting the environmental requirements along with that. The forecast evaluates the possibility and the necessity in decreasing the energy dependency on imported supplies without putting at risk neither the very deliveries, nor the competitiveness of the national energy market. The forecast evaluates also which policy would make it possible for Bulgaria to fulfill the engagements undertaken by the country under the Kyoto Protocol and shows the role of the enhanced energy efficiency and the usage of the RES potential, as well as of the development of reliable and secure nuclear energy. 1. Current status of the total energy balance in Bulgaria The transition in Bulgaria from centralized planned economy to market orientated economy started at the beginning of the nineties. The first steps orientating the reform in the new direction were the liberalization of prices, exchange rate and foreign trade. These resulted directly in high inflation and drop in production. After introducing a currency board in 1997, the new stage in the development of the Bulgarian economy started- prices became stable an