New production technology together

The summit of electric power industry in Bulgaria has been marked by the adoption of motor-generator units-a new production technology together with the Japanese company Toshiba for the needs of the Chaira PSHPP. The reversible motor-generator units are 240 MW, 19 kV, 600 rpm and are among the most complex electrical machines at that time.

Within the period 1970-1980 the overall output of the electrical equipment industry increased about 3 times

Growth of the electrical equipment industry output (index 1970=100), %

On the basis of expanded production capacities and their intensive utilization, the output of some main groups of electrical products was significantly increased.

Table 20 presents the development of the two main groups of electrical products typical of that industry.

The wide product range of the Bulgarian electrical equipment industry has had a constant and steady development in terms of quantity and quality and has found a good acceptance on the international markets.

After 1989 when democratic rule replaced totalitarian rule, a structural reform has been carried out in the industry, including the electrical industry. The reform consists of privatization of the industrial enterprises which used to be a state property before that. All that has led to a certain decrease in the electrical industry output which has affected its international markets, quite well developed until then.

Electroimpex established

As already mentioned, the steady growth of electrification in Bulgaria in the second half of the 20th century also had a great impact on the design and fulfillment of electric power projects abroad. The beginning was laid in 1960 with the establishing of Electroimpex as a foreign-trade enterprise with exclusive rights in Bulgaria on the import and export of electrical goods and equipment. In the first years Electroimpex established business relations with companies from 16 countries in the world. From the very beginning of its existence Electroimpex was involved in and contributed with its specialization to the development of the electric power system, as well as to the establishment of the electrical industry in Bulgaria.

The efforts were directed to overall co-operation and participation in laying the foundations and the development of a market-oriented electrical industry on the basis of full compliance with the requirements and recommendations of IEC and the most widely applied international standards such as BS, DIN, etc. As a result of the efforts made jointly with the man-ufacturers, Bulgarian electrical goods and equipment found their place on the international markets.