Title: Former Minister Siméon Dyankov Buys Generator Amid Power Crisis in Bulgaria‘s Lovech Region
Former Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Bulgaria, Siméon Dyankov, has taken matters into his own hands during the ongoing power crisis in the country. After several days without electricity in the village of Apriltsi, Dyankov announced that he had purchased a generator to ensure he has power for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
In 2013, during his time as a minister, Dyankov had a two-story building constructed at the eastern end of a tourist complex he partly owns in Apriltsi. The complex includes an 18-room, two-apartment hotel, a 50-seat restaurant, a chapel, two pools, a zoo, a trout farm, a beer garden with 50 seats, an operating folk music venue, and a vegetable garden.
The power outages affecting Lovéch province, which began on Dec. 28, have left many homes without electricity for five days due to unaddressed damage in the electricity distribution network. Radюvene, one of the hardest-hit settlements, still has around 40 households without power, according to Mayor Ignat Ignov. "We’re counting on repair teams to come today and resolve the issues, as the situation is becoming critical," he added.
The provincial capital, Lovéch, has also been affected, with residents growing increasingly anxious. Some have even threatened to disobey authorities due to the lack of electricity, according to Mayor Straçimir Petkov. "The worst part is that many of these villages didn’t have water this summer, and now they’re facing a water and electricity crisis," Petkov noted.
Power has been restored to most settlements in other affected municipalities, but individual households remain without electricity. The cause of these outages is not immediately clear, but fallen trees have been identified as a contributing factor in some cases.
As the holiday season approaches, many Bulgarian communities are facing unprecedented challenges due to the power crisis. While it remains to be seen how long these outages will continue, individuals and authorities alike are desperate for a quick resolution.
