site.btaToplofikatsia Pernik Demands Renegotiation of Recovery and Resilience Plan Decarbonization

Toplofikatsia Pernik insists that the decarbonization commitments undertaken under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) should be renegotiated, the heating utility said Wednesday. Reducing carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants by 40% by 2026 taking baseline 2019 levels are exceedingly concerning and dangerous commitments for Bulgaria’s economy, the company said. Besides, the close of the plants will leave hundreds of thousands without jobs, the company CEO Chavdar Stoynev said.

The first thing that should be done is convene the Advisory Board on the European Green Deal, Stoynev said. Coal-fired plants are key to ensuring Bulgaria’s energy security and their pending closure will lead to an economic collapse, while meeting the undertaken commitments will turn the country from a gross energy exporter into one dependent on other countries in the region in winter months.

"In the event of a refusal to hold talks on the cancellation of commitments to Europe, our country is doomed to unemployment and depopulation of coal regions," Stoynev said. In his words, everyone is aware that under Europe's green policy, solid fossil fuels have no future in the long term, but replacing them with more environment-friendly alternatives will take time.

TPPs cannot operate seasonally, Stoynev said. They are exceedingly important not only with the base load they provide, but also as a balancing element and peak-time energy producer. He is adamant there is no way the energy system can function on renewable energy sources alone.

"While in Bulgaria a deliberate attempt is being made to liquidate a structurally defining sector by decommissioning operating power plants, in Germany and other developed European countries they are returning to coal to save themselves from energy shortages due to the energy crisis," Stoynev further said. He said global coal consumption had reached a record high of more than 8 billion tonnes.

According to Reform 10: Decarbonization of the energy sector of the Recovery and Resilience Plan:

Carbon dioxide emission reduction will apply to the coal-fired power plants: TPP Maritsa 3 EAD, TPP Maritsa East 2 EAD, TPP Bobov Dol EAD, AES-3C Maritsa Iztok 1, TPP Contour Global Maritsa Iztok 3, TPP BRICKEL EAD, TPP Republic, TPP Ruse Iztok and Toplofikatsia Sliven.