site.btaMiners' Federation Warns against Possible Electricity Rationing

Sofia, August 18 (BTA) - "At certain conditions, there could be electricity rationing," Vladimir Topalov, Chairman of the Miners' Federation with the Podkrepa Labour Confederation, warned on Monday. Topalov spoke at a news conference, prompted by the national observances of the Miners' Day.

Noting that miners are people that know well the coal mining industry, Topalov said that a large part of the energy experts are wrong when saying that Bulgaria has sufficient energy capacities to meet the domestic demands. The existence of renewable energy resources (RES) is not enough in itself, Topalov observed. He pointed out the fact that the thermo-electric power plants operate on coal and the developments in Ukraine as other arguments in support of this pessimistic option.

He appealed to the would-be incumbents to take measures regarding the mining undertakings, so that such situation be avoided, particularly, in the autumn-winter period.

Valentin Vulchev, Chairman of the Federation of Independent Ministers' Trade Unions with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, said that the arrears within the National Electric Company-plants-coal mining undertakings chain constitute one of the main outstanding issues within the sector: the miners are at the end of the chain, which places the payment of their wages at high risk.

Other problems include retirement of first and second-category workers, the updating of the regulations for mining activity and the problem with mining rescue services.

A package of 15 proposals for the development of the sector of mineral resources will be handed to Prime Minister Georgi Bliznashki on Monday, said Luchezar Tsotsorkov, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology. The adoption of the European Strategy for the Development of the Mining Sector, drafted in 2012, is a key priority of the Economy and Energy Ministry. It is based on European documents and the initiative for resource-efficient Europe. Traditionally, production in the sector accounts for around 4 per cent of GDP as last year's exports amounted to 3.4 million leva. Around 30,000 people are directly involved in the sector and another 120,000 in the related industries. The energy production is based on coal, which accounts for around 40 per cent of the national production of electricity.

Tsotsorkov also said that last year's economic and political crisis has affected adversely the sector of mineral resources. Last year, the national production dropped by nearly 6.5 million tonnes and the decrease in 2013 was by some 7.4 per cent compared to 2012.

Productivity of labour in the sector is almost 2.5-fold higher compared to the mean one for the industry sector. The average wage increased reaching slightly over 15,000 leva in 2013.

.