site.btaGovernment Wants to Keep Jobs at ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP

The government wants to keep the jobs at ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov told a hearing in Parliament on Thursday. He was commenting on a report by Executive Director Vassil Shtonov that the company would close down and lay off the employees. The hearing was held on a motion by Krasimir Manov MP of Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh).

Stankov said he had met with the management of ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP about their plans for the future of the plant, in which the National Electricity Company (NEK) holds a 27% stake. Decisions taken by the majority owner in the past show that he does not want to operate the plant.

"During the talks, I made it clear that the state aims to have the plant operated by them or by another interested party so as to preserve the jobs there and those of 6,400 or 6,500 miners in the complex," Stankov said.

For his part, the majority owner said the plant, as an asset, harmed his financial situation in the context of plans for the introduction of a European green bond.

Stankov said the only way the state sees the development of the plant is by continuing its operation. Since the current majority owner does not want to operate it, this should lead to cutting the plant up or reducing its capacity.

"After two meetings, the owner grasped the message," Stankov said.

On Wednesday night, the Energy Minister sent a letter to the management of ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP, urging them to take the initiative and contact all possible companies that could operate the plant. Stankov said he asked them to do this in the next three weeks.

Stankov further said the management had informed the Labor and Social Policy Ministry that employees would retain their jobs until April 1 and would then be laid off.

"In my capacity as Energy Minister, I, along with the Rosen Zhelyazkov government, will not allow lay-offs because the plant is worth nothing without those people. If we play the appointment-dismissal game, we will end up with a plant that has no people to operate it and its value will be zero," said Stankov.

He recalled that ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP is a strategically important facility which guarantees national security.