Officials have started procedures to suspend the licenses of CEZ, the biggest Czech utility, Austria's EVN AG (EVN) and Prague-based Energo-Pro, over a dispute between the three and the National Electricity Company (NEK), the state-owned company that controls Bulgaria’s generation and transmission infrastructure.

The dispute relates to 347.6m lev ($247m) that the three are claimed to owe NEK following a series of changes to the process for processing renewable power generation payments.