Informal Meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Sofia

Bulgaria can retain its coal-fired power plants, but only if they meet the requirements of the European Union, the EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Change Miguel Canete said on 19^th of April at the informal Council of Energy Ministers from the community. The meeting is part of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

By the end of its Presidency, Bulgaria has set the goal of reaching the agreement of most countries on how the future development of the so-called low-carbon energy at the European Union level should look.

Temenuzhka Petkova, Bulgharia’s Minister of Energy said she washopeful that there was such an opportunity. The Bulgarian Presidency will work towards achieving such a common approach with a view to further negotiations with the European Parliament.

We are currently in a transition to a low-carbon economy, Miguel Canete said. This is a long process, renewable sources will play a more important role than fossil fuels in the future. This should be clear, he added.

Bulgaria is one of the countries that will be seriously affected by the clean energy measures, as almost half of the electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations. They do not meet the European requirements and must be closed for up to one year unless they are granted an extension. Energy Minister Temenujka Petkova assured that getting a derogation is a primarily goal, but only if the plants comply with the european requirements.

Proposals have already been sent to Brussels. Commissioner Kate commented that despite the high requirements, the Commission will also take into account the social aspect of the coal-fired plants and coal mines in individual countries. He assured Europe does not want Bulgaria to shut down its thermal power plants, but to meet ecological standards.

By plan, Europe should achieve clean energy by 2050. Until then, not only plants should be replaced with low-emissions one, but energy efficiency should be increased.

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