The operator of the AES Maritsa iztok 1 coal plant in Bulgaria is interested in replacing one of its boilers with a molten salt reactor. It would accumulate excess renewable energy from the power grid as heat and produce steam to drive the existing turbine. With the surge in solar and wind power capacity throughout […]
Greenpeace Bulgaria and Za Zemiata (For the Earth) said they would file a complaint today with the European Commission over repeated failures by Bulgarian authorities to enforce the European Union’s environmental law at four coal plants. They expressed the view that institutions are prioritizing financial interests over public health and the environment. Environmental organizations Greenpeace […]
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey issued a public call for solar and wind power auctions for 2 GW in total. It will receive the applications on November 4 and November 18, respectively. One competitive bidding process is for a floating solar power project of 35 MW. Following the successful auctions for […]
Last year, for the first time in decades, no smoke rose out of coal plants in the Peloponnese peninsula. The last two units had 500 MW together. Megalopolis is one of the two coal regions in Greece, along with Western Macedonia in the country’s north. According to Public Power Corporation (PPC or DEI) the units […]
Serbia now has a Just Energy Transition Plan until 2030. The document contains suggested measures for the mitigation of the impact of reducing fossil fuel use, primarily coal, so that workers, firms and communities aren’t left behind. Following last month’s completion of the public consultation process regarding the proposed Just Transition Action Plan, the Government […]
The Government of Montenegro adopted urban planning and technical conditions for a solar power plant of 81.1 MW in peak capacity in Pljevlja. The site for the facility is part of a coal mining complex. Greece is the most successful by far in the Balkans in transforming coal land into clean energy and advanced technology […]
Solar became the EU’s largest source of electricity for the first time in June 2025. National records for both photovoltaics and wind rolled in in May and June, pushing coal to an all-time low. Solar was the largest source of electricity in the European Union for the first time last month, with multiple countries producing […]
Even with a quota for the regulated electricity market in Bulgaria, low electricity prices pushed TPP Maritsa East 2 into a loss last year. It is the only state-owned coal power plant. The financial report for 2024 showed a loss of EUR 52 million for TPP Maritsa East 2 (Maritsa-iztok 2), Kapital reported. It compares […]
In 2024, Western Balkan governments’ chronic law enforcement failures allowed sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution from the region’s antiquated coal power plants to exceed legal limits by six times, according to the Comply or Close report. The overall particulate matter (PM or dust) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from coal plants continued to exceed legal limits. […]
TE-TOL, the main district heating provider in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, has taken over a newly built gas-steam unit, reducing the share of coal in heat generation to 20% and marking another step toward a complete coal phaseout in the country. Slovenia’s official deadline for abandoning coal is 2033, although there are indications it might […]