The Department of Electrical Apparatus was established on April 5, 1945, under the initial name of the "Electrical Engineering" section within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the State Polytechnic. One of the departments was the "Construction of Electrical Machines" (established in 1949), which marked the beginning of teaching and research activities in the field of electrical apparatus. 
In the early 1950s, Petar Penchev was appointed as an assistant to the Department of "Construction of Electrical Machines".

He prepared some of the first lecture courses and seminars on electrical apparatus. He also developed one of the first strategies for training electrical engineers specializing in electrical apparatus manufacturing. This practically laid the foundation for systematic research work on the topic. Thanks to his exceptional persistence, a section titled "Electrical Apparatus" was formed within the Department of "Electrical Machines and Apparatus" with a distinct educational process. In 1956, P. Penchev published the first textbook on "Electrical Apparatus," divided into three parts.
In 1959, under the leadership of Angel Pisarev, the first laboratory for electrical apparatus was established. During the period 1950–1964, conditions were successfully created for the transformation of the "Electrical Apparatus" section into an independent department. This became a reality on May 15, 1964, by Order No. 1661 of the Minister of People's Education.
Since then, over 1400 students in electrical engineering have graduated from the department. Each year, an average of 20–25 students with a bachelor's degree graduate from the department. and around 12-15 young people who have completed a master's degree. The Department of Electrical Apparatus can accommodate students in both full-time and part-time forms of study for bachelor's and master's degrees. Specialized training is also provided for doctoral students.