site.btaGovernment Publishes Final Territorial Just Transition Plans of Stara Zagora, Pernik, Kyustendil Regions

The government published the final Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) of the regions of Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil, the press service of the Council of Ministers said on Monday. Due to a protest of miners and energy workers, traffic junctions in Stara Zagora are closed for a fourth consecutive day, the Trakia highway and the Pass of the Republic are blocked.

The Stara Zagora region has been identified as the most affected by the transition, as the four coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs) and mines are located there. In terms of potentially affected jobs, the region also emerges as the most affected. Stara Zagora's leading position in terms of gross value added is due to the Maritsa East energy complex, which highlights the structural role of the coal industry in the region's economy, the published texts state.

Kyustendil region is the most vulnerable in terms of socio-economic and demographic trends, as the process of phasing out coal mining and coal-fired power generation can be traced back to the last two decades. In the meantime, no new jobs and economic activities are planned. The most affected municipalities there are Bobov Dol, Dupnitsa and Kyustendil. However, the just transition to a climate-neutral economy is envisaged to cover the whole territory of the region with a focus on the coal and energy sectors.

The territorial distribution of directly affected jobs varies at municipal level in the Kyustendil region - the highest concentration of affected jobs is in the municipalities of Bobov Dol, Dupnitsa and Kyustendil, while the remaining municipalities in the region are less affected.

The territorial distribution of directly affected jobs at municipal level in the Pernik region is concentrated in Pernik Municipality, while the other municipality affected in the region in terms of the Emmission trading system (ETS) is Radomir, according to the TJTPs.

The full texts of the Stara Zagora, Pernik and Kyustendil TJTPs are published on the Energy Ministry’s website.

The Energy Ministry’s website also contains the templates of the TJTPs for the three regions, which were proposed for public consultation on August 2, 2023, the Council of Ministers press centre stated.