Eng. Kremen Georgiev, Chairman of ATDB: With the new gas capacities the district heating companies will meet the future European ecological requirements

"Bulgarian district heating companies have the capacity and human resources to produce clean energy. This requires action and commitment, with the necessary time and resources. From a technical point of view, coal-fired power plants are able to run on natural gas. Of course, these are big changes. It is possible to replace one fuel with another, but the question is at what price. " This was said by Eng. Kremen Georgiev, Chairman of the Association of District Heating Companies in Bulgaria (ATDB). According to him, in order to switch to the use of more environmentally friendly fuels, power plants must invest in new facilities that run on gas. These are big investments and serious work. "In reality, if they want to keep working, they have no choice. The end of coal is approaching with each passing day. However, this also carries serious risks and the possibility for thousands of employees in the sector to lose their jobs. We need sensible solutions." said Eng. Georgiev.

"Currently, Bulgaria is pursuing a policy of reducing harmful emissions in fulfillment of its international commitments. We are working to extract energy from more environmentally friendly fuels and increase energy efficiency," said Eng. Kremen Georgiev. According to him, in recent years investments have been made in accelerating the development of the energy sector in Bulgaria. "Working solutions are being implemented that meet the needs of customers for low-carbon energy. Coal-fired district heating companies have begun their green transformation with natural gas switching projects," explained Eng. Georgiev.

The chairman of the Association of District Heating Companies in Bulgaria pointed out that some of the companies themselves began transformations even before the Green Deal became a reality. "" Some of the heating plants have decided to switch to natural gas."They have invested in cogenerators for gas operation. These are serious and big steps to preserve the energy security and independence of our country, as well as to develop them in the future," said Eng. Georgiev. According to him, with the construction and commissioning of new facilities running on natural gas, district heating will meet the greatly increased European environmental standards.

The Chairman of ATDB pointed out that energy is of structural importance for the development of the economy, for its competitiveness and for maintaining stable economic growth. Eng. Georgiev expressed the opinion that the energy transition will not be easy, because coal is the only fuel that the country produces locally. "In Bulgaria over 40% of the total electricity production is from fossil fuels and this share reaches even 60% in some periods during the winter. The green transformation in our country should happen smoothly to avoid negative consequences," said Eng. Georgiev.

Eng. Georgiev believes that the implementation of a fair transition is in the hands of the state and in particular of enterprises. According to him, we also need European support, because the companies themselves will hardly be able to cope. "European mechanisms are a key factor for a smooth energy transition. In the context of the Green Deal, the European Union provides grants to support those countries for which the transformation to green production will be more difficult and slow," said Georgiev. He explained that the European support is aimed at investments in the implementation of projects for the gradual replacement of coal with more environmentally friendly fuels, as well as for the retraining of workers in the sector. According to him, as a country we must make efforts to carry out the transformation. According to him, now is the time for everyone to unite and defend the national interest of Bulgaria.