On 22 January 2018, the Competition Protection Commission
("CPC") announced that it opened a
sector inquiry into the electricity markets in Bulgaria.
The CPC decision follows recent public statements alleging
potentially speculative prices on the free market of electricity
for business customers and price alignment between electricity
traders. The inquiry aims to provide a detailed picture of the
current market processes and to identify possible additional
measures which could contribute to efficient competition.
The CPC is expected to approach a wide range of market
participants through questionnaires which are to be sent in the
coming weeks. The previous electricity sector inquiry carried out
by the CPC in Bulgaria led to three decisions imposing considerable
sanctions on electricity distribution companies and their trader
affiliate companies for abuse of dominance, making this a
particularly interesting case.
