"Bulgaria has strong arguments for postponing the shutdown of coal plants until at least 2030. We are facing a serious energy crisis, a regional deficit." This is what Ivan Hinovski, energy expert and chairman of the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum, told BNR. 

The problem is that the Bulgarian authorities are failing to clearly communicate these arguments to the European Commission, as Serbia did and postponed the deadline for closing its coal plants (Serbia is not an EU member but participates in the Just Transition Plan), the expert believes. In his opinion, in the next 10-12 years Bulgaria should invest in renewable energy storage systems. "The funds under the Just Transition Plan are about 800 million euros. If I were a manager, I would give up this money - this is how much is earned in one year from the Maritsa Iztok 2 thermal power plant," Hinovski said.