Bulgaria insists on lower emission caps for large combustion plants

According to the statement from the Ministry of Energy, Bulgaria will insist on lower sulfur dioxide, NOx and mercury emission restrictions than the ones planned in the draft of the Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) for large combustion plants.

After meeting with the representatives of industry, energy and environment sectors, the Ministry concluded that the thresholds envisaged in the draft are impossible to reach for Bulgarian coal-fired power plants. According to Deputy Minister of Energy Konstantin Delisivkov, these power plants will have to invest about 500 million euros to comply with the new measures.

Earlier in March, Ivan Angelov, Director at the Ministry of Environment and Water, said that The European Commission (EC) may launch an infringement procedure against Bulgaria for exceeded carbon oxides emissions threshold in the town of Galabovo, which is located in the heart of the country’s coal production area – the Maritsa East basin. The worst possible consequence of this infringement procedure could be an imperative to shut down production units in thermal power plant Maritsa East 2 in order to keep CO emissions below cap.

The Committee for the Reference Document plans to vote higher restrictions on nitrous oxide and sulfur oxide emissions on 28 April, which should be implemented over a period of four years.

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