How does a company from Dobrich earn the trust of giants like Kozloduy NPP and Lukoil, build some of the country’s first wind farms, and solve tasks that seem impossible?

Eng. Ivaylo Ovcharov is the CEO and a board member of ELIA EAD, where he has led the company for 20 years. Before joining ELIA, he was Head of the Commercial Department at “Start” AD – a manufacturer of starter batteries. He was responsible for sourcing raw materials, equipment, managing sales, and developing the market. His career began as a marine electrical engineer at “Bulgarian Maritime Fleet” AD.

Eng. Ovcharov holds a degree in Corporate Management from New Bulgarian University and a professional diploma in Management from The Open University, UK. He has also specialized in REFA, the German system for management and optimization of production processes, applied at SIEMENS, Schneider Electric, LIEBHERR, and other leading international companies. He graduated from the N. Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Electrical Power Engineering and Equipment and is an alumnus of the Dobrich High School of Science and Mathematics.

Mr. Ovcharov, ELIA started operations in 1995 with a product that no one believed in at the time – retrofit. How did you convince the market?

At first, there was a wall of distrust. Clients were skeptical: “How will you replace outdated equipment without interrupting the power supply?” But that became the turning point.

Imagine: the switchgear in Bulgaria dates back to the 1960s and 70s. After 20 years of operation, it is morally and physically outdated. The problem is that in many places – hospitals, factories, critical infrastructure – the power cannot be interrupted.

This is exactly where retrofit comes in. Retrofit is like changing a car engine while it’s still running. The old switchgear frame is preserved, but the active parts are replaced with modern ones. The result is 20 more years of life and significantly improved reliability.

What is the secret to your market success?
It is probably that our engineers know both worlds – they have worked with the old Bulgarian switchgear and master the new technologies. This combination is priceless.

Your project for Elacite Med sounds like a movie script – 20 hours for a full modernization of a substation in a mountain tunnel. How did you do it?

This was a “Mission Impossible” with a capital “I”! Imagine: the substation is at the entrance of a 6-kilometer tunnel on one side of the mountain, and the ore processing plant is on the other. The tunnel carries the longest conveyor belt in the Balkans.

The equipment had not been stopped or upgraded for over 30 years. It was worn out but absolutely critical for the entire complex. We were given a 24-hour deadline – from power shutdown to the commissioning of the new system – but we completed all work in 20 hours!

We developed unique compact equipment suitable for the harsh tunnel conditions. It was tested in a laboratory in Romania. The entire substation was manufactured in our Dobrich plant while preparing the site. From design to commissioning took less than six months. And the installation itself was completed in 20 hours. This project seemed impossible – but every impossible mission is an opportunity for us.

Kozloduy NPP, Lukoil Neftohim, KCM… How does a company from Dobrich win such clients?

Trust is built project by project. We have been working with Kozloduy NPP since 2003 – modernizing Blocks 5 and 6, producing 120 control cabinets for fire dampers, tested for earthquake resistance. In 2024 alone, we produced 70 low-voltage panels for them.

Last year, we completed five substation reconstruction projects for Lukoil Neftohim.

All these clients have choices – they can work with whoever they want. But they choose us because they know: if we say we can, we will do it.

By the way, ELIA has been a licensed SIVACON manufacturer in Bulgaria since 2004. This is a Siemens franchise. We trained with them and passed all standards. The product we make in Dobrich is on par with that from Leipzig. I like to joke that Siemens essentially signs off on our quality.

You have also participated in building some of the first wind turbines in Bulgaria, the largest wind farm with 52 turbines, and solar parks – it seems you were in the right place at the right time…

Or maybe we were simply ready when the opportunities came.

The first wind turbines were second-hand from Western Europe. To operate in Bulgaria, they needed distribution devices. And we started producing them.

Then came the boom in wind farms. We took part in building the parks in Kamen Bryag, Kavarna, Shabla. The first powerful turbines in the country include our contribution. The largest project was in Suvorovo – 52 turbines for a Spanish project by Iberdrola.

When the solar revolution began, we already had the experience. Now we are taking the next step – opening up to end clients. We partner with AmonRa Energy, the only photovoltaic company listed on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, with offices in six Balkan countries. Together, we opened a warehouse and showroom on our territory, making it easy for installers and private clients to find everything in one place – from the best components of global solar system manufacturers to grid connection services.

With mass staff shortages and a deficit of engineers, how do you retain 80 specialists in Dobrich?

This is our biggest challenge today. But we have an advantage. Young engineers want interesting projects, to learn new technologies, and to see the results of their work. We give them the opportunity to work on projects that elsewhere can only be read about – modernizing a nuclear plant, designing and connecting solar systems to the grid, solving tasks that seem unsolvable.

We attract them with experience, reputation, and clients. The conditions are excellent, teams are well-coordinated, and when you see a 24-hour “Mission Impossible” become reality, you probably don’t want to be anywhere else.

What do you see for the future – for ELIA and the region?

The region is slowly but surely awakening. Industry is modernizing, green energy is growing. We are part of this change. We contribute to the economic development of Eastern and Central Bulgaria – from Varna and Burgas to Panagyurishte and Plovdiv. We have a large share in the wind farms built in Northeastern Bulgaria. Now, together with AmonRa Energy, we help small businesses and households invest in green energy.

How do I see the future?
We will continue to seek impossible missions. Because for us, they are opportunities.

Source: https://www.standartnews.com/biznes/ivaylo-ovcharov-elia-vsyaka-nevazmozhna-misiya-e-vazmozhnost-za-nas-621886.html?preview=tru3