Efforts to restore power to more than 100 settlements in Bulgaria continued for a fourth consecutive day, as heavy wet snow from Christmas caused widespread outages.
Thousands of families, particularly in the Gabrovo region, remain without electricity, with around 50 villages in the municipality and 100 in the broader area still affected.
The lack of electricity has also disrupted water supplies in some locations and severed mobile network communication, compounding the hardships faced by residents.
In the Gabrovo municipality, frustrations have reached a boiling point. Protests are being organized outside the local energy company, with residents accusing “Energo Pro,” the electricity provider, of failing to address the crisis adequately.
A resident of the village of Sabotkovtsi has initiated a petition to revoke the company’s license, citing negligence. The Gabrovo municipality has urgently appealed to the Minister of Energy, demanding immediate intervention to restore normalcy in the affected areas.
The situation in the Lovech region is similarly dire. Four villages in the Ugarchin municipality have been without power for four days.
In the Elena Balkan area and near Veliko Tarnovo, dozens of villages are grappling with disrupted electricity, water supplies, and mobile communications.
Recovery efforts in Svishtov have made gradual progress, with repairs to the main water supply enabling partial restoration of water services.
In Troyan, severe winter conditions have exacerbated the crisis, with five settlements still powerless despite temporary restorations earlier in the week.
Snow accumulation of up to 95 centimeters has severely hindered repair efforts. Tourism-dependent areas such as the village of Chiflik are relying on generators to sustain operations, but businesses report substantial financial losses.
Local authorities confirmed that roads in the district have been cleared and sanded, though no additional support from electricity companies has been requested.
The Rhodope Mountains region has also been severely impacted. Power outages have been reported in the Plovdiv, Asenovgrad, and Chepelare areas, with repair teams working tirelessly to address grid failures.
In Sofia, the municipality temporarily closed roads leading to Vitosha Mountain to clear snow, while penalties have been announced for contractors failing to meet their winter maintenance obligations.
Social media platforms have become a hub for residents to express their frustrations and organize further protests. Many have criticized the energy companies for their perceived lack of preparedness and slow response to the crisis.
Calls for improved communication and faster resolution of the outages are growing louder, as local officials stress the urgent need to prevent further disruptions to daily life.
The crisis has drawn attention to Bulgaria’s infrastructure vulnerabilities during extreme winter conditions.
While repair efforts continue across the affected regions, the delays in restoring basic services have underscored the challenges of managing widespread outages during the holiday season.
For many residents, the immediate priority remains the return of electricity and water, but the lingering frustrations hint at broader dissatisfaction with the energy sector’s crisis management capabilities.
As the recovery efforts unfold, the government and energy providers face mounting pressure to ensure that such prolonged disruptions are not repeated, particularly as winter conditions persist.