Former Minister of Energy and current deputy from GERB Temenuzka Petkova revealed to PIK agency details about the answer she received from the current Minister of Energy Rosen Hristov about the closure of the coal-fired power plants.

We remind you that according to the agreements recorded in the Recovery and Development Plan, Bulgaria must reduce its carbon emissions from coal plants by 40%. 2019 was taken as a base - according to experts, it was an extremely weak year in terms of harmful emissions, and the government's commitment to "Continue the change" will lead to the closure of coal plants.

"What I asked as a question to the Minister of Energy, Rosen Hristov, was related to the information that the Ministry of Energy has regarding which experts from the Ministry and BEH participated in the development of the Recovery and Sustainability Plan and, more specifically, the .name "Reform No. 10: Decarbonization of the energy sector". It is this part of the Plan that shows a very clear commitment by the government to "Continuing the Change", that by the end of 2025 carbon emissions from electricity production must be reduced by 40%. In the answer I received from the Acting Minister of Energy, Rosen Hristov, it is clear that employees of the Ministry of Energy and employees of the BEH group did not participate in the undertaking of these commitments, explained the People's Representative from GERB.

She added that according to the answer, there are no experts who have prepared an analysis of the adequacy of the system, nor analyzes from the point of view of energy efficiency and what this closing of the plants would lead to. Petkova is adamant that reducing carbon emissions in practice means closing coal plants.

The official minister clearly states in his answer that the undertaking of the commitments and the conduct of the negotiations with the EC on this reform was carried out by the deputy prime minister for European funds and the minister of finance in the regular government of "We continue the change". Asen Vassilev. Temenujka Petkova explained that the Deputy Prime Minister for Ecology Borislav Sandov also took part in the course of these negotiations.

She recalled that the commitment means that by the end of 2025, we have to close nearly 50% of the capacities that produce electricity from coal. According to her, this will lead to serious problems from the point of view of the energy security of the country, from the point of view of the competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy, and very serious social consequences for entire regions.

This response from the caretaker minister clearly shows who has made a commitment and who should be held responsible in the occurrence of certain negative consequences that are inevitable. What we should fight for as a country is to make a request to the European Commission about the need to renegotiate the Recovery and Sustainability Plan in this part, added Petkova.

According to her, such decisions to close capacities must first be adopted by the National Assembly and then implemented by the Council of Ministers, because they are directly related to our energy security and this requirement is written in the Energy Law. According to her, a thorough analysis should be made of who had what as a commitment and did not fulfill it.

I am sure that sooner or later all these actions will be subject to scrutiny by the competent authorities. I also did not believe that when it comes to the country's energy security, the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, who apparently took it upon himself to negotiate the Recovery and Sustainability Plan with the EC, would take such a single-minded approach in this process and take such a decision, GERB deputy Temenuzka Petkova expressed bewilderment.