site.btaEnergy Minister Favours Mitigation of Economic Pressure of Integrated Energy and Climate Plan

The caretaker government will work based on planned steps and will not pursue aggressive goals, caretaker Energy Minister Rossen Hristov said here on Monday. He was taking a question by a BTA reporter about Bulgaria's Integrated Energy and Climate Plan for the 2021-2030 period. According to Hristov, the economic pressure of the Integrated Plan needs to be mitigated.

The Integrated Plan, which was adopted by the regular government in May, envisages a reduction in emissions by 40% in the 2022-2026 period compared to 2019 and the transition of at least 12,000 jobs to other economic zones. Another 15,000 jobs are expected to be affected by 2038. The main commitments are in the field of low-carbon economy and the use of coal.

Visiting Radnevo on Monday, Minister Hristov said that the region has big economic potential and the future of the Maritsa East complex is extremely important.

Hristov attended the marking of 60 years since the establishment of Troyanovo-North mine and the 70th anniversary of Maritsa East Mines, the biggest State-owned coal mining association in Bulgaria.