The Bulgarian government is committed to the sustainable development of the energy sector, protecting workers in the industry, and preserving thermal power plants (TPPs) and coal mining as a sovereign source of baseload energy, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said during a meeting with representatives of the leadership of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, as quoted by the government's information service.
The meeting took place at the Council of Ministers and was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, and Energy Minister Iva Petrova.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government is maintaining dialogue with the European Commission regarding the reforms in the sector agreed over the years, as well as the scale and pace of the green transition.
Representatives of the trade unions expressed concerns about the reforms implemented in recent years to restructure the coal power sector and related enterprises, and about the resulting layoffs of workers. Radev assured them of the government's will to promote the sustainable and balanced development of Bulgaria's regions and highlighted the measures taken to preserve employment in Stara Zagora and the surrounding region.
The Prime Minister also noted that the agreed postponement of the closure of the thermal power plants in the Maritsa Basin until 2038 does not resolve the issue of their economic viability during that period, given the European Union's climate targets and the high cost of carbon emission allowances. For this reason, the Bulgarian government, together with other EU member states, is working to revise the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and to acknowledge the importance of coal-fired power generation as a sovereign source of baseload electricity, particularly in the context of the current energy crisis, according to the Council of Ministers.
The meeting also discussed measures to provide social protection for workers and preserve employment in the Maritsa Basin through land reclamation, industrial transformation, the development of new technological capacities, retraining and the acquisition of new professional skills, as well as attracting investment to the Stara Zagora region.
On Wednesday, the government adopted its government programme. In the Energy chapter, the key priorities include ensuring energy security and system adequacy, improving energy efficiency, diversifying and decentralizing energy sources, developing nuclear energy, strengthening Bulgaria's role as a regional energy hub, and rehabilitating and modernizing the state-owned energy companies.
(BTA, August 13, 2026)
