Connecting a PV system to the grid operator: the steps
The two routes for a solar system in the Kardzhali region — own consumption with a notification to ER Yug, or as a producer — and the steps along each.
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Who the grid operator is for the Kardzhali region
The grid operator (ЕРП in Bulgarian) is the electricity distribution company: the operator of the network your property is connected to. For the Kardzhali region it is Elektrorazpredelenie Yug (ER Yug), part of the EVN group. The company serves nine regions: Burgas, Kardzhali, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Sliven, Smolyan, Stara Zagora, Haskovo and Yambol.
Every photovoltaic system working in a building connected to the grid goes through the operator, even when it will not sell power. The route depends on one question: will the energy be for own consumption only, or will the system also feed into the grid.
The description is as of October 2026 and follows what ER Yug publishes and the text of the law. Forms, deadlines and requirements change, so before you submit documents, check the current ones on the operator's website. The links are at the end of the article.
The two routes
Own consumption only. A simplified procedure with a notification to the operator under Art. 25a of the Renewable Energy Act. It is for solar systems whose energy is used on site.
As a producer. Connection under Ordinance No. 6 of 28 March 2024 on connecting sites to the electricity networks. It is needed when the system will feed energy into the grid. That is the subject of the article on selling surplus power.
Own consumption: when the simplified procedure applies
According to the law and to what ER Yug publishes, the simplified procedure is for an end customer who builds the system on the roof or façade of a building connected to the grid, or on the property belonging to it, in an urbanised area. The conditions are:
the energy produced is used for own consumption only;
the total installed power is up to twice the contracted power of the site and no more than 5 MW. The operator's example: for a house with 6 kW of contracted power, the system can be 12 kW at most.
In its brochure on this procedure (July 2023) ER Yug also states that the property must not already have a connected own-consumption system and that the site must not be of the pump or irrigation type or a similar receiver. If you do not know your contracted power, it can be checked with the operator.
Own consumption: the steps
Notification to ER Yug. It is filed on the operator's form, including through its online services portal.
Supplementary agreement. Within 14 days of the notification the operator provides a supplementary agreement to the access and transmission contract. It holds the technical requirements for the connection scheme and the rights and obligations of both parties.
The municipality. The agreement is concluded before the building permit. With it and with the designs, an application is filed at the municipality where the property is.
Construction to the design and to the requirements of the agreement.
Notification of completion. Once the system is ready and before it is switched on, a notification of successful construction is filed with the operator.
Under this procedure the system does not feed energy into the grid. The law allows energy into the grid only after the procedure for connection as a producer.
Houses and holiday homes up to 20 kW
For systems with a total power of up to 20 kW serving an existing single-family or holiday house, with energy for own consumption only, ER Yug points to a shorter procedure under the Spatial Development Act (Art. 151):
no building permit is required;
before work starts, the municipality's chief architect is notified. The notification comes with documentation for the structure and the electrical part, which also shows the protection against feeding energy into the grid;
within 14 days after installation the owner and the installer sign a declaration notifying the chief architect and the operator that the system is built to the documentation and is energised.
Municipalities have their own forms and practice, so ask the technical office of your municipality exactly what it requires.
As a producer: the steps in brief
When the system will feed energy into the grid, it is connected as a generating site. ER Yug describes the process in four groups of services:
Study. A request for a study of the connection conditions and the operator's opinion.
Consulting and approval of the technical designs.
Connection contract and construction of the connection facilities.
Switching on. Opinions for commissioning, 72-hour functional tests, a joint on-site check and paralleling with the grid.
This route is longer and carries more paperwork. The deadlines for the opinion are set in the Renewable Energy Act and depend on the power and the place of connection.
What to prepare
the site data from the electricity bill and the contracted power;
the documents for the property that the municipality requires;
a decision on whether the system will work for own consumption only;
design documentation: connection scheme, data for the modules and inverters, protection, structure.
The exact list is in the forms of the operator and of the municipality. The system is not switched on before the documents are ready: a system switched on without approval is a risk both for you and for the people working on the grid.
How we help
Design and assistance with the connection can be part of our projects for photovoltaic systems, together with supply, installation, testing and commissioning. The exact scope is defined in the technical proposal. If you are unsure which of the two routes is yours, send us the address of the site and its contracted power. More answers are in the frequently asked questions.
