Effective environmental requirements for polluting combustion plants in the EU such as the Bulgarian TPPs entered into effect today.

As the BNR first announced in April, the measures were voted by a majority of Member States despite the fact that Bulgaria was against, fearing about the fate of four of its biggest power plants. In a period of four years, each country is obliged to review the licenses of large combustion plants. By the middle of 2021 each coal-fired power station should significantly reduce its emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, mercury and particulate matter.

The Bulgarian government has already announced that it would ask Brussels to defer the new environmental thresholds for the coal-fired power industry.