“This is a breath of fresh air for everyone who works at Maritsa Iztok TPP. A large part of people from Stara Zagora work in the thermal power plant and in the mines. I am satisfied with today’s decision of the parliament and as mayor I am glad that they will be able to keep their jobs and will not have to worry about tomorrow”, he said on the occasion of the allocation of one billion BGN for a period of four years (2024-2028 ). He explained that people’s jobs are threatened by the so-called green deal and the annual increase in the price of emissions.
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According to him, the granting of these funds does not provide a complete solution to the problem of coal plants, but in this transitional period, miners and energy workers must be prepared, as well as find an alternative to these jobs.
“We in the municipality have prepared projects for industrial zones. One of them is the Zagore industrial zone, which is almost full of investors. Elenino Industrial Zone, for which we have concluded two major contracts with investors for the creation of nearly 800 jobs, is also under development. Another such large project is the airport in Stara Zagora, which should also become such an industrial zone. This is already a state project because the airport itself is state-owned. There – on a territory of 220 decares, many investors could find their place”, he explained.
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For the mayor of Stara Zagora, it is important that people have jobs and that the commitment to reclamation of the mines is fulfilled in order to avoid an ecological catastrophe in the region. The idea, according to him, is to give the funds approved by the National Assembly as salaries to the miners and energy workers, who are committed to reclamation in the next four years.
“It is no coincidence that today in the National Assembly, some deputies said: ‘let’s not give this money to external companies.’ I am absolutely in agreement with the mines having to deal with their own resources in fulfilling reclamation commitments. This is how we will keep these people, while in the meantime we create alternative jobs for them”, Zivko Todorov also pointed out.
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He also drew attention to the reverse process – the abrupt closure of mines and power plants. According to him, not only will people lose their jobs, but the state will also lose because “the unemployed don’t pay taxes.”
Tags: mayor Stara Zagora release BGN billion thermal power plants great victory
