site.btaMinisters, Mayors Unveil Measures to Preserve Air Quality

Sofia, November 24 (BTA) - Labour Minister Bisser Petkov said the government is ready to back the introduction of environmental standards for solid fuels. He was speaking Tuesday at a conference on problems and solutions for improvement of ambient air quality. Environment Minister Neno Dimov specified that the standards should be ready by spring in order to take effect before the next heating season.

Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova said that under a national benchmark RES energy should account for 16 per cent of the end gross consumption. However, this target had been reached as early as at the end of 2013. Now coal-fired plants generate 41 per cent of energy. In the past 12 years Bulgaria's largest coal-fired plant, Maritza East 2, has invested 1.1 billion leva in desulphurization installations and over 15 million leva in dust collection installations. The Energy Ministry is implementing a project to assist household consumers to install environmentally clean heating. The available funding is 10.5 million euro. Minister Petkov said that of the 205,000 people that receive heating allowances, 80 per cent use solid fuels.

Transport Minister Ivailo Moskovski urged for measures that will encourage people to use public transport and the purchase of vehicles without harmful emissions. Fines for cars without catalyzers should be such so as to discourage driving road unworthy vehicles.

Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov said that incentives are mulled for innovations that will improve environment and household waste management. The Transport Ministry is negotiating with manufacturers of electric automobiles to encourage them to set up production facilities in Bulgaria and to disburse subsidies for the purchase of such cars.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova said that by the end of the month the traffic police in Sofia will be supplied with seven new gas analyzers. In several years the average age of public transport vehicles has been reduced from 30 years to nine. In the next two years the aim is to reduce it further to six or seven years. She said that there is a procedure for the purchase for 120 buses and 50 electric buses.

Vratsa Mayor Kalin Kamenov recalled that 11 Bulgarian municipalities are updating their programmes for improvement of ambient air quality. He said that there should be both restrictive and promotional measures. Smaller municipalities should receive assistance to buy environmentally friendly vehicles for the public transport.