Bulgaria is about to miss billions of BGN in funding under the national plan for recovery and sustainability in the field of energy, making decisions that will make it very difficult to get the money.
Euractiv Bulgaria reprints the information from “Now”.
Ahead of the election and in the face of protesting miners and energy workers, who were invited to the parliament session without precedent, the MPs postponed to consider and vote today on the updated Climate Neutrality Roadmap. This is a key document to the Recovery and Sustainability Plan (RSP), through which Bulgaria expects huge funds from Brussels, as well as Bulgaria’s commitments in the field of the Green Deal.
Another decision to postpone commitments already made in the energy sector is to be voted on later. It is about postponing by one year the first phase of the electricity reform, namely the liberalization of the wholesale electricity market for households from July 1, which is also a key reform under the PVA.
Acceptance of a climate neutrality roadmap is one of the conditions for receiving the second payment under the recovery plan. The map is the document that sets out in time the reforms and commitments that must be fulfilled in relation to the replacement of coal-fired power in the energy mix with RES. Yesterday, it became clear to the parliamentary energy committee that even in the updated road map there are still controversial commitments, such as the construction of powerful offshore wind power plants.
OVERCHARGE
At the same time, the deputies voted for a decision, with which from 2024 to 2028, the budget will allocate 250 million BGN each year for the reclamation of land in Mini “Maritsa Iztok”. The initiators of this decision are GERB, and initially the request was for the annual amount to be BGN 200 million for a period of five years. However, the DPS overruled this proposal, demanding that the annual amount be increased to BGN 250 million, and that the term be shortened to 4 years. “The first year is very important in order to start the reclamation activities and provide jobs for the people from the mines,” explained Yordan Tsonev from DPS.
The BSP also became more active in front of the protesting miners present. Dragomir Stoynev first became indignant that GERB and DPS were screwing each other, then announced that this money for reclamation was a “pacifier” for the miners and did not solve any problems. Therefore, a complete revision of the “Green Deal” and withdrawal of the climate neutrality road map for a new update was necessary.
“It will destroy our coal regions. Nothing compels the adoption of this road map,” announced the Socialist deputy and demonstratively tore a copy of the map while speaking from the podium. BSP leader Kornelia Ninova enthusiastically applauded him from his seat. “It (the map – ed.) does not solve any problem. It only talks about RES. Until the Green Deal is revised, the road map should not be looked at by the Bulgarian parliament,” Stoynev shouted and pounded on the rostrum – probably to look more convincing.
His proposal was supported by 158 deputies from GERB-SDS, DPS, Vazrazhdane, BSP, ITN and independent. One deputy from the PP-DB was against, and 42 of his colleagues abstained. No one else weighed in on the important topic – not even the right wing, whose government produced the updated map.
Only Iskra Mihailova from Vazrazhdane took to the podium to accuse the BSP of having participated in the adoption of the initial map while in coalition with the PP-DB in the Petkov cabinet, and attacked the Gerbers for influencing the trade unions to quit the miners’ and energy workers’ protests in defense of coal power last year. According to Mihailova, the deadlines according to the previous map continue to run and the European Commission is working on the closure of the coal mines. However, Stoynev calmly assured her: “There is no road map.” The government has nothing to send. Until it is revised and approved by the SC, nothing is working at the moment. Until there is a government that is genuinely concerned about the fate of our coal power, there is nothing to ship.”
At the insistence of “Vazrazhdane”, in the decision to allocate a total of BGN 1 billion over the next 4 years for the reclamation of land in the Mariska coal basin, it was written that the activities will be carried out only by “Mini Maritsa Iztok”. Subcontracting to other parts, state or municipal companies will not be allowed.
“We don’t want Peevski’s or Delyan Dobrev’s companies to take part in the absorption of these funds,” Mihailova said. GERB accused PP-DB that their companies had appetites for these areas.
Only the PP-DB abstained from voting on the additional costs for the mines with money from the budget. “Realistically, 3-4 billion BGN are needed for the reclamation. These 250 million BGN will not create the promised employment in the coal-fired power industry. You only think of miners during elections. Why are district heating plants protected and every year they receive between BGN 1 and 1.2 billion from the Electricity System Security Fund, while the mines and the state-owned TPP 2 are left behind?” said Radoslav Ribarski from PP-DB.
PROTEST
The national protest of miners and energy workers from the Marishka coal basin announced for today was brought before the National Assembly and the Council of Ministers. They were joined by workers at the Bobov Dol TPP, Brickel TPP, and Toplofikatsia-Pernik.
Those working in mines and coal plants are worried that they will lose their jobs this year, since the electricity reform foresees that from July 1, electricity from coal plants will drop out of the energy mix at the expense of RES.
Trade union organizations in the energy sector submitted a declaration to the National Assembly demanding the construction of a carbon dioxide capture plant. Thus, the plant will become competitive on the electricity market and it will be possible to prevent its closure, Stanimir Georgiev, chairman of the Association “Miners and Energetics Together”, explained to BNR.
Because of the protest, today there are changes in the movement and parking of cars on “Todor Alexandrov”, “Tsar Osvoboditel” and “Knyaz Alexander Dondukov” boulevards, as well as in the parking lot of “Knyaz Alexander I” square.
