They are again launching a project that is profitable for Ivo Prokopiev
Plans for Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik unlock 1.178 billion euros from the EU
Europars for photovoltaics
The former Prime Minister Kril Petkov and his deputy Asen Vasilev have prepared a scheme to grab 1 billion euros from the EU even after they are no longer in power.
In the Territorial Plan for a just transition of the Stara Zagora region, it is written that the construction of a factory for the production and recycling of batteries will be supported with money from the EU. Asen Vassilev personally launched such a project during the preparation of the Recovery and Sustainability Plan (RPS). At the time there were criticisms that Brussels would not allow the realization of the project and in the end it was not actually included in the Plan.
Now, however, on the last day that Kril Petkov and Asen Vasilev were in their offices, on August 2, Territorial plans for a just transition of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik have been released for public discussion. Their approval is necessary for Bulgaria to have access to EUR 1.178 billion from the Just Transition Fund. The purpose of this money from the EU is to support the areas most affected by the new “green” requirements of the EU.
In our country, the most affected by the green transition are Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik, because it is written in the Environmental Protection Act that the coal plants must be closed by 2038.
The plan for Stara Zagora states that by 2026, 12,000 people will be laid off from the coal plants, and by 2038, another 15,000 jobs will be affected. And in total, the family members indirectly affected by the abandonment of coal will be over 80,000 people.
In the plan for Stara Zagora, the people of Kril Petkov and Asen Vassilev have written down interesting projects with which they will supposedly support the region. Reclamation of the coal pits and installation of photovoltaics with the potential to produce 15-20 GW of electricity is envisaged. This is temporary employment, after the construction of the photovoltaics, the people needed to maintain them will be very few. However, this is not recorded in the document.
However, it is outlined how the construction of a factory for the production or recycling of batteries will be supported. Enterprise aid may include support for both operating and capital costs. The idea is for the plant to make batteries that will help solar farms store electricity produced in the summer and sell it in the winter when it is more expensive. And one of the largest owners of photovoltaics in the country is Ivo Prokopiev.
The installation of the batteries will also be financed with EU money, but under the Recovery Plan.
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