Asen Vassilev: At prices of 100 euros on emissions, an economic collapse in Europe is possible

An industrial zone and a logistics center are Plan B for the future of the Maritsa East complex. This became clear from a working meeting between representatives of the unions from the Maritsa East complex and the caretaker Ministers of Economy and Finance Kiril Petkov and Asen Vassilev. At the beginning of the meeting, the two supported with their signatures a subscription organized by an initiative committee for the preservation of the energy complex and the mines, BTA reported. The document was signed on condition. The main topic of discussion was reaching a general agreement to apply for the Fair Transition Fund, which has 1 billion and 300 million for coal regions and the Recovery Plan, which provides for the construction of 1,000 megawatts of gas steam power plant.

As a former caretaker energy minister, Vassilev pointed out that he is well acquainted with the work and problems in the Maritsa East complex, which produces 40 percent of Bulgaria's electricity and is firmly in favor of preserving our country's energy independence. According to him, it is necessary to quickly find a working solution for plan A - preservation of "Maritsa East", because Europe has had a difficult summer with high electricity prices, the price of emissions from power plants has increased by 55 percent and if they reach 100 euro, an economic collapse is possible.

According to Asen Vassilev, among the projects discussed so far are innovative technologies for burning coal, afforestation with fast-growing wood, construction of eco-materials and solar installation. The caretaker finance minister has urged unions not to trust "hope sellers" who offer them hydrogen installations because it is extremely expensive to produce and the price of electricity will rise sharply.

Kiril Petkov reminded that there is a three-year period in which the financing is provided. He stressed that now there is a shortage of labor in the industrial zone of Plovdiv, and in the company where his godfather works, owned by an American company, the lowest salary is BGN 2,500 and the average - BGN 4,500. He proposed to build a logistics center near Radnevo for goods and services that are for the markets in Europe. The Minister of Economy recommended that the municipality apply to Transparency International for a "Municipality without Corruption" certificate in order to be more attractive to investors.

This was the second working meeting between the two caretaker ministers and representatives of the unions in Maritsa East. Today the mayors of Radnevo and Opan also took part in it.