The government has decided to extend the operational life of coal-fired thermal power plants in Bulgaria until 2038. Exact dates for the closure of these power plants were not disclosed.
In 2023, Parliament mandated the Government to renegotiate with the European Commission parts of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) in order to delay the phase-out of its coal-fired thermal power plants by twelve years, but also to change Bulgaria’s target under the European Green Deal to reach a 40 % reduction in carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2026, compared to 2019 levels.
The EC has allocated 5.69 billion euros in grants to Bulgaria under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). So far, Bulgaria has received only one installment of 1.37 billion euros by December 2022. The government is also pledging individual financial support of around 75,000 euros for each worker affected by the potential loss of jobs in the three affected regions.
A new state-owned enterprise will be created, which will be charged with transitioning the former thermal coal mining regions to industrial zones focused on alternative sources of employment. Last week, the Bulgarian government was faced with protests organized by coal miners and workers in the coal sector, who urged the postponement of restrictive measures against Bulgaria’s coal energy sector.