site.btaUPDATED Sulphur Dioxide at Brikel TPP Found to Be 15 Times above Safety Limit

Sulphur dioxide and particulate matter in the air at the Brikel Thermal Power Plant in the southern town of Galabovo were found to be, respectively, 15 and 27 times the safety limit during a surprise check by outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on Tuesday. The Prime Minister unveiled the news before the start of the Council of Ministers' weekly meeting on Wednesday.

During the check, Petkov was accompanied by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov and officials from various institutions engaged in environmental protection.

The Prime Minister said he was shocked by the findings. He said: "Even the inspection team felt sick just two hours later. I cannot believe that Bulgarian citizens work in such conditions." He expects all competent institutions to come up with a report as soon as possible to help plan the next steps against the daily pollution at Brikel.

Petkov stated during a briefing after the Council of Ministers' meeting that he had already submitted a request with the State Agency for National Security to investigate whether businessman Hristo Kovachki is the owner of the Brikel Power Plant.