Guidelines have been provided to “Brikel” in Galabovo to cope with irregular emissions and dust pollution, and if the TPP cannot comply with these, a coercive measure will be imposed to stop its operation, Deputy Prime Minister for Climate Policies and Minister of Environment and Water Borislav Sandov told journalists on Friday during his visit to Stara Zagora.

 “Currently, this enterprise does not burn waste. It should burn straw mixed with coal and biomass as part of the combustion process. But waste is not allowed to be burnt. There are prescriptions by RIEW - Stara Zagora to cope with the problems related to irregular emissions, which if not fulfilled will entail actions similar to the ones in the case of the ‘Maritsa TPP 3’ in Dimitrovgrad, which was temporarily closed. I receive photos of the TPP on a daily basis showing the building emits smoke not only from the chimney,” said Minister Borislav Sandov. Yesterday, he attempted to enter the TPP for inspection, but was denied access by security. After the arrival of police officers and employees of RIEW - Stara Zagora, a protocol was compiled for the illegal obstruction of a control body and an additional inspection was carried out, whereby violations were established. The Minister stated on site that the enterprise is working in complete violation of Bulgarian laws and more specifically in violation of the Environmental Protection Act even after the completed scheduled repairs.

 In respect  to the waste management decisions by the Municipality of Stara Zagora, Minister Borislav Sandov said in a nutshell that we must first strive to reduce the amount of generated waste and collect it separately at the source. Then we should aim for reuse of products and packaging, for recycling and composting of biological fractions, which will minimize waste landfill deposition. According to him, the municipality’s project for the construction of a new disposal cell can be financed by the Enterprise for Management of Environmental Protection Activities.

 Fifty tons of household waste will be burned experimentally at the “ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3” TPP. The operator has submitted an application for this to the Ministry of Environment and Water and household waste will be burned by Sofia Municipality, Minister Sandov announced in response to a journalist’s question. The aim is to find out if the TPP’s combustion process can operate in this fashion. “I am not saying that this TPP is preparing to burn waste instead of coal in the future. But it is one of two US power plants for which the state currently pays emissions. These contracts expire in 2024 and 2026, and the TPP “AES Galabovo” and “ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3” are already looking for possibilities to reduce these emissions by the time they have to pay for them,” explained Borislav Sandov. An Environmental Impact Assessment is not required for experimental burning, but it will be required if the intention is to permanently change the fuel. He reminded that the plant carries out its own monitoring, but there will also be mobile measuring stations on site that will monitor the main indicators of harmful substances. The entire process will be monitored by RIEW - Stara Zagora and the Environmental Executive Agency, and there will be three separate measuring stations around the site at the time.

 The Minister pointed to the licensing and management of the zoo in the city as a good example of cooperation between the local and the state level. “The city is one of the greenest places in Bulgaria. There are good prospects for development here, not only because of the geographical location, but also thanks to all the prerequisites for European policies and their implementation,” said Minister Sandov.

 You can watch the entire press conference by Minister Borislav Sandov and the Mayor of Stara Zagora Zhivko Todorov here.