In 1946, the Department of "Applied Electrical Engineering" was established under the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of the Higher Technical Institute - Sofia. Prof. Eng. Nancho Stefanov Nanchev became its head.
Two years later, the department was renamed the Department of "Electric Power Plants, Networks and Systems" with Prof. Eng. Nancho Nanchev as its head. In 1964, this department was split into two separate departments: "Electric Networks and Systems" headed by Prof. Eng. Nanchev, and the Department of "Electric Power Plants" headed by Prof. Eng. Koco Avramov Hristov.
In 1997, by a decision of the Academic Council of TU-Sofia dated 23.09.1997, the departments of "Electric Power Plants" and "Electric Networks and Systems" were merged into the Department of "Electrical Power Engineering" headed by Prof. Dr. Eng. Petko Petrov Notov.
This is one of the fundamental departments of higher electrical engineering education in Bulgaria. The department has officially approved curricula (for the "Bachelor" and "Master" degrees) and study programs for all disciplines taught by the department, as well as lecture notes. The department has a complete set of current educational documentation, as well as an archive of such documentation for the past 20 years (including, diploma and dissertation works, grades for passed exams, and other information).
The department's faculty members are recognized and leading specialists in various fields of electrical power engineering:
- prospective planning of the development of the Electric Power System (EPS);
- the automation of the EES;
- the established and transitional regimes in the EES;
- the design and operation of power plants; electrical networks and systems;
- electrical engineering materials and high-voltage technology;
- technical safety and engineering ecology in energy; the economics of energy.
The department's lecturers are also authors of numerous textbooks, reference books, and other materials used by students in electrical engineering at all higher education institutions, as well as by engineers and technicians in the state energy enterprises and by electrical engineers in industry and transport. The lecturers are also authors of methods, software, projects of national significance, and patents in the field of electrical engineering.
The lecturers in the department are recognised as leading experts in various fields of the electricity sector:
- long-term planning for the development of the electricity system (ES);
- automation of the EPS;
- steady-state and transient regimes in the EPS;
- the design and operation of power stations; electrical networks and systems;
- electrical materials and high-voltage technology;
- technical safety and environmental engineering in the power industry; and the economics of the power industry.
The lecturers in the department are also authors of a number of textbooks, reference books and other resources, which are used by students of electrical power engineering at all higher education institutions, as well as by engineers and technicians within the state-owned energy enterprises and by electrical engineers in industry and transport. The lecturers are also authors of methodologies, software, projects of national importance and copyright certificates in the field of electrical power engineering.
