Prime Minister Denkov: The basic energy in our country comes from nuclear energy and thermal power plants

I will not download the site plans. Their withdrawal means that Bulgaria voluntarily renounces the support of the European Union for the energy transition, said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov. He warned that this action would be extremely harmful to the coal regions, and the consequences would be very serious and for a very long time.

The Prime Minister once again invited the protesting miners to join the discussions to change the plans, as this is still possible. "I will do what is right and useful for Bulgaria. I hope the protesters will understand that it is useful both for the miners and for the coal regions", said Academician Denkov, quoted by the government information service.

He reminded again that the territorial plans for Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik do not administratively close mines and coal plants. Their goal is to help with the transition, which will happen anyway because energy technologies are changing.

On the other hand, the government must provide base energy capacity for many years to come. They will be the nuclear plant and the thermal power plants. However, thermal power plants cannot continue to operate in the same volumes until 2038 for economic reasons – their electricity is significantly more expensive than energy produced from other sources. The Prime Minister was adamant that "anyone who claims otherwise is simply lying to the miners and the energy industry."

The prime minister does not expect any problems in the vote of no confidence against the cabinet because of its energy policy. "It would be extremely foolish politically for anyone not to support the government at this point in time. There is no reason for it to be blamed on the occasion, which was stated as a motive for the vote," said Academician Denkov.

On the occasion of the evacuation of Bulgarians from Israel, the Prime Minister expressed readiness for the government plane to make a third flight to Tel Aviv, if there are enough compatriots who wish to return home.