Standing in the way by standing in the middle: The case of state-owned natural gas intermediaries in Bulgaria

Understanding the material dimensions of the uneven deployment of renewable energy in two Italian regions

“…Infrastructure networks or their absence can enhance or impede RE deployment and delivery. Thus, for example, global, national and regional power and infrastructure networks become intimately connected through the materially embedded transmission grids within specific territories (Hiteva and Maltby, 2014) and any interconnections between them.…”

Two steps forward, one step back: Renewable energy transitions in Bulgaria and Romania

“…Bojkov (, p. 510) treats them as ‘a micro‐region of their own’, as do a number of other authors linking this to EU accession timing (Noutcheva and Bechev ; Levitz and Pop‐Eleches ). These background dimensions also include specific historic, cultural and technical legacies related to their energy sectors, including the transition from central planning to market economies in the early 1990s (Ahrens and Jünemann ), high fossil fuel dependency (Eurostat ), high levels of political capture by incumbent institutions (Hiteva and Maltby ), lack of investment in their electricity grids (Hiteva , ), and high levels of inward foreign direct investment (Kalotay ).…”

“…Mahoney and Thelen () argue that the stronger the veto possibilities of those defending the status quo, the less likely there will be major institutional change, while Smith et al () find that large incumbents are more influential in more centralized energy systems. While undergoing formal liberalization, energy regimes in both Romania and Bulgaria remain characterized by high levels of state intervention, and close links between energy companies, regulators and the government (Hiteva and Maltby ).…”

“…In Romania, for example, the state‐owned transmission and system operator (Transelectrica) indirectly administers the centralized competitive wholesale markets (including the GC market) (Gatej ). In both countries, formal independence of regulators and state companies has been undermined by a lack of political, financial and technical autonomy (Hiteva and Maltby ). Co‐evolution inhibited state and administrative capacity.…”

Between Amity, Enmity and Europeanisation: EU Energy Security Policy and the Example of Bulgaria's Russian Energy Dependence

“…20 Balmaceda argues that Russia has a history of using 'intermediary gas companies to influence the energy policies' and 'political elites abroad' of countries including Bulgaria, Hungary and Serbia (Balmaceda 2008a, pp. 18, 20;Hiteva & Maltby 2014). 21 Similarly, the Bulgarian Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) noted problems of transparency in the energy sector, including of gas import and transit contracts (CSD 2010(CSD , 2012 and argued that 'the very high concentration of the Bulgarian gas market (monopoly of supply and distribution) provides ample opportunities for rent-seeking' (CSD 2013a, p. 1).…”