Organization and activities of the EWRC specialized electricity market monitoring and surveillance unit, indicators of market assessment and risk of abuses by market participants, as well as types of possible manipulations were the main topics during the workshop held on 2 and 3 August this year within the realized by the Regulator Bulgarian-Norwegian project "Implementation of Euro Electricity Market in Bulgaria – II phase”. A training expert from Norwegian side was Wilhelm Söderström from Nord Pool Consulting. The workshop represented a continuation of previous project activities aimed at increasing the capacity of EWRC experts in implementing efficient international practices in line with the responsibility of national regulators regarding electricity market monitoring and surveillance. The project is being realized and financed under the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 with the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission as Project Promoter, headed by EWRC's member Mrs. Evgenia Haritonova, together with the Norwegian regulator as a Partner. The main objective of the project is to support the creation of a competitive electricity market in Bulgaria, fully integrated with the European internal electricity market, in accordance with EU legislation and commitments of ACER.

At the closing meeting with the Nord Pool Consulting expert Wilhelm Söderström, EWRC Chairman Assoc. prof. Ivan Ivanov, PhD stressed that the joint project is an important factor in support of the ongoing strategy of full electricity market liberalization in the country. During the conversation a short review was done on the implementation of the planned project activities regarding the capacity building of the Regulator in performing its commitments to ensure equality of participants at the power exchange. Chairman Ivan Ivanov pointed out that the forthcoming operation of the power exchange in its entire segments raised the Regulator’s role in performing market monitoring in order to meet the requirements of the European Directive on market integrity and transparency – REMIT. Among the other activities in the practical training of experts, EWRC Chairman pointed out as a very useful step in increasing the capacity of the Regulator the development of a special handbook for the work of the Market Monitoring Unit with clear and concrete written procedures. The handbook drafting is in its final stage and it develops the methods of organization, collection and processing of information regarding power exchange participants via data processing systems. It was announced at the meeting that within the activities of the joint Bulgarian-Norwegian project EWRC experts will have a training tour to the Norwegian regulator NVE, where they will learn about the practical application of approved power exchange monitoring models.

Referring to the importance of the good practices exchange for EWRC capacity enhancement, assoc. prof. Ivan Ivanov said that expansion of working contacts with other European energy regulators has been foreseen. He described the recent visit of EWRC experts in the Austrian energy regulator E-Control as very useful in practical terms, taking into consideration the leading position of E-Control among European regulators. Forthcoming contacts are envisaged for early October this year with the Romanian energy regulator ANRE. During the visit of EWRC management team a joint seminar of power exchange monitoring experts will be held in Bucharest.

"All meetings held at expert level, as well as the more active and fruitful participation of EWRC at meetings and working groups of organizations of European and regional energy regulators, have important implications regarding the role of the Bulgarian regulator to ensure that the Bulgarian power exchange operates in accordance with ACER rules and guidelines", said assoc. prof. Ivan Ivanov.

Mrs. Evgenia Haritonova, EWRC’s member and a project leader from Bulgarian side, also participated in the meeting.