site.btaProtesters Demand Carbon Allowances Waiver for TPPs

Protesting coal miners and energy workers on Saturday blocked traffic on the road between Stara Zagora and Kazanlak. Their main demand is a suspension of carbon emission allowance payments charged from the coal-fired thermal power plants in the Maritsa Basin (Southeastern Bulgaria) until the construction of a carbon capture plant, as this should enable the plants to offer competitive pricing of the electricity they generate.

The protesters also demand land reclamation in the complex as provided for in the Maritsa East coal mines concession agreement: part to remain as agricultural land and the rest to be incorporated into woodland. 

The miners and power engineers are adamant that if their demands are not met, the protests will continue.

On January 14, 2024, Environment and Water Minister Julian Popov said that the coal-fired power plants in the Maritsa Basin do not stand a chance of operating past 2030 because the market will close them down. Popov specified that 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 2 or 3 years' time.