The Bobov Dol thermal power plant will stop incinerating unregulated waste, according to the letter, which the management of thermal power plant Bobov Dol set to the Bulgaria’s Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev.
In February, Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev said that pre-trial investigation established the illegal burning of waste mixed with coal at TPP Bobov Dol. Investigations revealed that the permit for test waste burning at the plant has expired and that a site near the TPP stores waste that does not meet indicators of the so-called RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel). Geshev said that a comprehensive review of compliance with the eco-legislation of the TPPs is yet to be carried out and competency actions will be undertaken to ensure air quality, adding that TPP Bobov Dol has been placed under constant monitoring. Previously in January, Minister of Environment and Water Emil Dimitrov officially said that the Ministry check found that the Bobov Dol power plant has not been burning hazardous waste. The Ministry has reviewed activities in Bobov Dol including the compliance of complex permits for electricity generation and a landfill for non-hazardous waste, as well as all regulatory requirements for waste co-incineration. According to the report from the probe, the operator of the plant violated essential obligations incorporated in environmental legislation including the requirement to have an automatic system for stopping the use of waste in case emissions limit values are exceeded. Also, the power plant has unlawfully discharged flue gases through the chimney.
In a letter, TPP Bobov Dol management said that the company plans to change the complex permit in terms of fuel use, and to eliminate RDF-class fuel from the mix. TPP Bobov Dol recorded a non-consolidated net profit of 1.2 million euros in 2019, which is three times higher than the 400,000 euros net profit recorded in the previous year. The company’s total revenues rose to 73.2 million euros in 2019, compared to 55.3 million euros recorded in 2018. Total expenditures rose to 71.8 million euros in the same period, from 54.8 million euros a year before. TPP Bobov Dol is 630 MW coal-fired power plant commissioned in 2000, located in southwestern Bulgaria. It was privatized in 2008 and local consortium Energy MK is the plant’s sole owner.
