Maritsa 3 power station
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Maritsa 3 power station is a mothballed power station in Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Bulgaria.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Maritsa 3 power station | Dimitrovgrad, Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Bulgaria | 42.051942, 25.623344 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- ': 42.051942, 25.623344
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mothballed | coal: lignite | 120 | subcritical | 1971 | 2021 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Owner | Parent |
|---|---|
| TEC Maritsa 3 AD [100%] | Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Maritza East mines
Background
The power station consists of a 120 MW unit 3 that began operating in 1971. Units 1-2 of 25 MW each set up in 1951 to 1954 have been retired.[1]
In April 2022, the plant was forcefully decommissioned following a series of violations of the Environmental Protection Act.[2]
In September 2022, the plant remained closed due to pollution emissions. Earlier in the year, Bulgaria was charged with systemically exceeding permitted emission levels between 2007 and 2018. Should violations continue, all nearby coal plants could be forced to shut down.[3]
As of June 2023, the plant appeared to be still closed. In March 2023, the administrative court in Haskovo postponed the hearing of the appeal of the management regarding the closure of the plant to May 9th.[4] The outcome of the rescheduled hearing was not known, as of June 2023.
Also in May 2023, the company has announced a project to build a biogas installation.[5]
CCS project
From 2010-2012 Marista 3 was being considered by Toshiba Corporation to capture around 2.5 million tonnes per annum of CO2 for storage in an onshore deep saline formation. Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation was sponsoring the project’s feasibility study, with funding supplied by the Spanish Fund for Sustainable Development through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The plant was scheduled to be fully operational by 2020, but plans were dropped and the project is currently not being pursued.[6]
Opposition
In October 2023, Greenpeace activists climbed the cooling tower of Maritsa 3 to protest its intermittent operation and the air and environmental pollution it caused.[7][8]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Promotion of CCT implementation options in existing coal-fired power plants," Sofa Energy Center, accessed March 2016
- ↑ "Due to Systemic Pollution: The operation of Bulgarian TPP "Maritsa" 3 was Stopped," Novinite, April 21, 2022
- ↑ "Air pollution in TPP Maritsa 3 could lead to shutdown of all coal plants in Bulgaria," Balkan Green Energy News, September 16, 2022
- ↑ "Съдът отложи делото за спирането на ТЕЦ-а в Димитровград". www.marica.bg. March 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Юлиян Семерджиев от борда на директорите на ТЕЦ Марица 3: Трансформацията на централата е кауза". epicenter.bg. May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Maritsa TPP," Zero CO2, accessed March 2016
- ↑ "Greenpeace activists scale tower of Bulgarian coal-fired plant, demanding its closure," Reuters, October 16, 2023
- ↑ "Bulgaria: Eco-Activists climbed a 50-meter Tower at TPP “Maritsa 3” and painted “CRIME”," Novinite.com, October 16, 2023
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
