Bulgaria opens its largest solar power plant near Dupnitsa

Bulgaria will only be able to support coal-fired power plants in Bulgaria for another year and a half. The country has not requested an extension of this deadline, MEP Tsvetelina Penkova said on June 22. The energy ministry confirmed this to BNT and added that they may be obliged by the National Assembly to do so.

By 2025, countries in the European Union will be able to support their coal plants.

"So far, this is the deadline, but other countries such as Sweden and Poland have asked for it to be extended and Bulgaria's position is not clear. There should be a very clear plan when, how and in what stages our capacities and dependencies on coal plants will be reduced," said Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP from PES.

Penkova attended the opening of the largest solar power plant in the country, near the town of Dupnitsa, (Southwestern Bulgaria). The facility can independently power the entire surrounding area and will operate almost entirely on long-term contracts.

"Normalisation means corporate customers, especially large corporate customers, signing long-term contracts rather than being dependent on the market, the conditions of which vary from day to day," said Kiril Boshov, chairman of the board of directors.

The country currently has 1,750 megawatts of solar plants under construction. The new one has a capacity of 123 megawatts. According to the Electricity System Operator, there are not enough resources to connect new green capacities without investing in the grid.

"The legislation that I am working on in the European Parliament envisages that a lot of these solar panels that you see around us will start to be produced in Europe. Currently, globally, 90% is imported from China, making us highly dependent in our transition," Tsvetelina Penkova added.

Brussels policy envisages developing measures to attract investors, including in Bulgaria.