Bulgarian government promises no forced closure of coal-fired power plants

The Bulgarian government promised coal workers – who have been blocking roads in protest – that it would not take any administrative decisions to close coal-fired power stations until 2038, leaving the matter entirely to the free market.

After negotiations between the government and the protestors lasted nearly seven hours and were attended by deputies from most parliamentary parties, an agreement was finally signed with a large part of the protestors.

“These coal-fired power plants, regardless of whether they are state-owned or private, will have the freedom to operate freely (until 2038), and the market will decide whether they will remain in operation,” Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said. Не announced that the agreement with the coal industry workers would be sent to parliament for ratification.

“We want a commitment to the protesters not only from the government but also from the political parties,” Denkov added.

Two years ago, Bulgaria pledged to close its last coal-fired power plant in 2038 as part of its targets under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan.

Protesters feared that the shutdown of coal-fired power plants would end much earlier than the deadline and that they would be out of a job.

Bulgaria expects €1.8 billion from the Commission to carry out a just social transition in the coal regions, but the state’s plans are opposed by the political interests of anti-European parties such as the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane and the unions, which draw their influence from their thousands of members in the coal regions.

According to territorial plans for a just transition, which were sent by Bulgaria to Brussels at the last possible moment on 29 September, 15,000 new high-tech jobs will be created in the coal regions. Currently, 12,000 people are directly employed in the coal industry, but Bulgaria remains dependent on this industry, which produces nearly 37% of the country’s electricity.

Meanwhile, Denkov stated that despite the signed agreement, there is no consensus among the protesters on whether the road blockades will end.

“Part of those present did not sign the agreement, as they were representatives of the workers in the mines,” commented the president of the Podkrepa trade union, Dimitar Manolov. He added that the miners seriously mistrusted the rulers.

The government is promising to pay €75,000 to anyone who agrees to leave the sector. For those workers who do not want to leave, a job will be provided in a state-owned company that will work on the Green Transition in the coal regions.

“If these agreements are not fulfilled, except for the demands that contradict European regulations, I will resign,” Denkov said during his meeting with the protesting miners.

(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)