site.btaEnvironment and Water Minister Says "No Black Sea Pollution Whatsoever after Kakhovka Dam Explosion"

Bulgaria's Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov told bTV on Thursday the destruction of Ukraine's Kakhovka Dam had not caused any pollution of the Black Sea whatsoever. He commented that the breach of the dam triggered panic in Bulgaria that the sea and the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts could be polluted, while monitoring shows that there is no pollution at all.

Although the drinking water swept away houses and everything in its path, they did not reach Bulgaria, Popov said. The risk of pollution of the Bulgarian Black Sea area was very low. "We are monitoring not just the sea but also the risk in the next five to seven days," he said.

Popov also commented on the future of coal-fired power stations, saying that they are unlikely to survive in the market in the future.

Bulgaria saw the biggest drop in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU in the first quarter of 2023. In the last two years, electricity prices were very high and all power plants were operating at maximum capacity. However, prices have fallen and this is a trend for the future, the Environment Minister said.

Bulgaria's air quality is improving, although not as fast as it should, Julian Popov also said.