site.btaEnvironment Minister: Market Will Close Down Maritsa Basin Coal-Fired Power Plants by 2030

The coal-fired power plants in the Maritsa Basin (Southeastern Bulgaria) do not stand a chance of operating past 2030 because the market will close them down, Bulgarian Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov said in a National Radio interview on Sunday morning, expressing a personal opinion.

Bulgaria currently generates 6,000 MW of electricity when the coal-fired plants operate at full capacity, but even at this point 25% of the power is produced from renewable energy sources, Popov said.

The State-owned Maritsa East 2 TPP is a loss maker, and most of the privately owned power plants are seriously considering abandoning coal in two or three years' time, the Environment Minister said. In his opinion, these plants could either switch to other fuels or transfer to a different power industry sector: energy storage, hydrogen technologies, waste, biomass, etc.

The Maritsa Basin can potentially attract up to EUR 30 billion in investments, provided that the proper regulatory framework and predictability are in place, Popov said.

He explained that the increase of fines for polluters targets those who break the rules rather than the coal-fired plants. The fines were upped because they have not been changed for ten years now and to adjust for a 40% inflation over that period, the Minister explained, adding that he will be campaigning for even harsher sanctions.

In his words, Sofia is bound to have a serious problem with its household waste. The level of landfilling must be lowered, waste treatment must improve tangibly, and separate collection and the circular economy must make dramatic progress. "We have political and expert levers to prop this process," the interviewee said. "A lot remains to be done about separate collection and recycling," he added. "If the capital city is properly run in economic terms, it will be able to locate financial resources for waste management," Popov argued.