Support Maritsa-East to Secure EU Grid Stability and Stop Price Chaos

We want Maritsa-East to be recognized as a critical grid stability asset for the European Union – because the energy complex supports the stability of the EU grid

Petition addressed to:
- European Commission (DG Energy)
- Members of the European Parliament
- ENTSO-E

 - National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria
 - Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria

Why this matters

The European electricity system is under growing strain. Across Europe, we see extreme price volatility (including negative prices below –500 €/MWh), more frequent system disturbances, and increasing reliance on emergency balancing.

On 20 March 2026, ENTSO-E confirmed that the largest blackout in Europe in two decades (Spain and Portugal, April 2025) was caused by a lack of synchronous inertia, reactive power, and adequate voltage control – not by a lack of generation capacity.
The EU now plans to invest €1.2 trillion in grid stability by 2040. But Europe already has a strategic asset that provides exactly the services needed: the Maritsa-East energy complex in Bulgaria.

The problem in Bulgaria

Maritsa-East pays billions in carbon emission costs. Most of this money is returned to Bulgaria and redirected to subsidize private solar and wind farms – facilities that actually increase grid instability. This is because Bulgaria entirely lacks Large Flexible Loads (LFL) that could absorb excess renewable energy. Stable, dispatchable generation is simply replaced by intermittent renewables, directly violating the EU's core requirement that renewable deployment must enhance energy efficiency. In fact, the efficiency that existed before their introduction is being destroyed.
The current EU ETS framework prices carbon emissions but does not adequately value grid stability services. The market does not pay for stability and security. As a result, assets that provide synchronous inertia, reactive power and strategic reserve capacity have become economically unviable – even as their importance for European energy security grows.
The complex is effectively paying to subsidize the technologies that destabilize the system.
The result:
- Maritsa-East is forced to reduce its stable, dispatchable generation
- Intermittent renewables are rewarded, while system stability deteriorates
- Electricity prices are rising, not falling
A temporary derogation from EU ETS carbon costs – as already requested by the Bulgarian Parliament on 18 March 2026 – is the most direct way to break this cycle while a permanent European compensation mechanism for system services is being developed.

The Strategic Role of Maritsa-East

Maritsa-East is the easternmost synchronous node of the European grid. It provides:
- Rotational inertia for frequency stability (which batteries cannot replace)
- Reactive power for voltage control
- Dispatchable generation that can respond within minutes
- Strategic reserve capacity
Without it, Southeast Europe becomes increasingly vulnerable to blackouts.

A New European Reality

Since 2023, Ukraine and Moldova have been integrating into the European grid. Large, unpredictable power flows now move across the region depending on military conditions and market needs. Maritsa-East is the natural stabilizer at this critical border.

Our Proposal

We call on the European Commission, the European Parliament and ENTSO-E to:

1. Recognize Maritsa-East as a Critical Grid Stability Asset for the European Union.
2. Include Maritsa-East in the EU Critical Energy Infrastructure framework.
3. Establish a European compensation mechanism for the complex’s system services (inertia, reactive power, strategic reserve).
4. Grant Maritsa-East a temporary derogation from EU ETS carbon emission costs until a permanent European compensation mechanism for its system services (inertia, reactive power, strategic reserve) is established – in line with the decision of the Bulgarian National Assembly of 18 March 2026, which mandated the government to seek a suspension of the EU ETS for the coal sector.
5. Designate Maritsa-East as the starting point for a future East–West ultra-high-voltage transmission corridor, as foreseen in EU structural development programs. This would improve price stability and energy security in southeastern Europe – exactly as required by the TEN‑E Regulation.
6. Support the development of Large Flexible Loads (data centers, AI computing, industrial flexible loads) in the region to absorb excess renewable energy and stabilize prices.

Why Immediate Action Is Necessary
Without recognition and support, Maritsa-East will be forced to close. Europe will then need to spend many times more to recreate the stability it already provides – with no guarantee of finding a comparable facility.

Public Support
On 20 May 2026, a paper petition with over 6,500 signatures was submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly, the Presidency and the Council of Ministers. 
This petition is further supported by energy professionals, former executives of the Maritsa-East complex, and former senior officials of the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy.

Learn More
Full technical proposal and detailed analysis(EN)

EPRS briefing on the TEN‑E revision(EN)

Proposal for Maritsa East in Bulgarian(BG)

ENTSO-E analysis in Bulgarian(BG)

Authors:
Eng. Ignat Bozhinov, Prof. Dr. Eng. Ivan Markov,
Eng. Shteryo Shterev, Svetoslav Proynov

Submitted by
Civil Initiative "Protection of Maritsa-East" (Bulgaria)

Светослав Пройнов    Contact the author of the petition