site.btaSofia Waste Treatment Plant Inaugurated

Sofia Waste Treatment Plant  Inaugurated

Sofia, September 14 (BTA) - A new mechanical-biological treatment plant with a capacity of 410,000 tonnes of mixed waste per year was inaugurated in Sofia by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova on Monday.

The plant was built under a project for Integrated System of Municipal Waste Treatment Facilities for Sofia Municipality. The project was co-funded by the EU's European Regional Development Fund and the national budget through the priority "Improvement and Development of Waste Treatment Infrastructure" of Operational Programme Environment 2007-2013. Sofia Municipality is the beneficiary under the project worth 345,997,368 leva, including 291,537,381 leva in grant aid. The European Investment Bank (EIB) provided co-financing in the form of a loan of 33 million euro. The EIB supported the preparation of the project through JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) in order to secure EU grants. At a later stage, the Bank also provided technical advisory services during the implementation phase.

The new waste treatment facilities include a sanitary landfill, a mechanical-biological treatment plant, and bio-waste and green waste composting plants, located at two different sites on the outskirts of the Bulgarian capital. The treatment plant will produce refuse-derived fuel that can be used in cement kilns and as an alternative fuel in a co-generation facility at the Sofia District Heating Plant.

The project is compliant with the Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC).

The inauguration was attended by European Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, Environment and Water Minister Ivelina Vassileva, Regional Development Minister Liliyana Pavlova, Health Minister Peter Moskov, Georges Kremlis, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General Environment of the European Commission, EIB Vice-President Laszlo Baranyay, MPs and municipal councillors.