site.btaDrop Offshore Renewable Energy Bill, Tourism Sector Execs, Fishermen, Environmentalists Urge

Fishermen, environmentalists and hospitality industry executives call for a withdrawal of a bill on offshore renewable energy.

They presented their arguments against the draft legislation at a roundtable organized at the National Assembly on Tuesday by one of the sponsors of the bill, Ivaylo Mirchev MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, who was however absent from the discussion.

Another co-sponsor, parliamentary Energy Committee Chair Delyan Dobrev MP of GERB-UDF, assured the participants that the Committee will continue its second reading of the bill until all opinions have been considered. 

BSP for Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane also called for the dropping of the bill. Concerns were also voiced at the discussion over irregular lobbying, an adverse effect on the tourism industry, and a fall in real estate prices.

Back when the offshore renewable energy bill was passed by Parliament on first reading on January 25, it gave rise to a heated controversy in plenary.

Irina Mateeva, who is in charge of European policies at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, pointed out that a EU directive required pre-planning and renewable energy source mapping to steer investor interest. She insisted on the withdrawal of the bill and urged Parliament to focus on transposing the directive. Mateeva noted that wind turbines directly kill birds and destroy their habitats. 

Chernomorski Izgrev Fishermen's Association Chair Emil Milev commented that the construction of wind parks will curb fisheries areas. "Three or four offshore parks will take up over 20% of the maritime space," he argued. In his words, wherever such a park is built and a cable is laid, fishing becomes impossible.

Atanas Karageorgiev, who represented the hotel owners in the Golden Sands and Sts Constantine and Helena coastal resorts, commented that the sponsors of the bill doom the entire tourism industry. "There are wind parks in the North Sea, but there is no developed tourism industry there," he pointed out. In his words, the mere talk of wind turbines erodes real estate prices by 10%, and properties cheapen by 50 to 70% once they go under construction. In Karageorgiev's opinion, the bill is projecting lobbyist interests. 

Krasimira Katinarchova of the Human - Nature - Life Association noted that the offshore wind turbines bill is one of several on which the third payment under the Recovery and Resilience Plan depends.

Borislav Gutsanov MP of BSP for Bulgaria commented that the tourism industry employs some 250,000 people, and this economic sector will most probably come under pressure. The wind farms will be located as close as within 6 miles (12 miles) from the coast. "If they are located farther offshore, this will cost investors a lot of money," he explained.

Kosta Stoyanov MP of Vazrazhdane argued that the offshore wind farms will practically ruin the fisheries sector. He called on the mayor and the local community to join the drive against the bill.