Republika power station
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Republika power station is an operating power station of at least 105-megawatts (MW) in Pernik City, Pernik, Bulgaria.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Republika power station | Pernik City, Pernik, Bulgaria | 42.607124, 23.078699 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 5: 42.607124, 23.078699
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 5 | operating | coal: lignite, fossil gas: natural gas, bioenergy: unknown | 105 | subcritical | 1951 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 5 | Toplofikacia Pernik EAD [100%] | Bingham Management Ltd |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Pernik Coal Mine
Background
The Republika power station (also known as TPP Republika) began operating in 1951. In 2007 it was said to be Europe's oldest functioning coal plant.[1]
The fifth generator (the only still running on coal) has undergone two reconstructions; the first in 2007, and the second in 2012, when an earthquake caused the chimney to partially collapse.[1]
In 2021, Toplofikacia Pernik Ead, the plant's owner, announced it would invest €4.1 million to convert the plant to run partially to natural gas. The switch was to begin in summer of 2021 with the installation of three gas cogeneration units, which will have a combined capacity of 21 MW.[2]
In December 2021, the plant marked its 70th anniversary.[3]
In February 2023, it was reported that representatives of the European Commission visited the plant where 40% of generation was to be replaced with gas-fired facilities.[4]
Pollution Concerns & Citizen Action
In 2019, Greenpeace activists from Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Hungary hosted a demonstration at the Republika power plant. They turned the facility into a 'museum' and hung banners with slogans emphasizing on the phase-out of fossil fuels.[5] While they generate more than 40% of the country's electricity, Bulgaria's coal-fuelled power plants (of which there are only 8 remaining) emit one-third of the country's total CO2 emissions.[6]
In March 2020, it was revealed that the Bulgarian government was covertly allowing three coal power plants (Bobov Dol power station, Brikel power station and Republika) to burn huge amounts of waste with coal illegally. Pressure from citizens in the area, who were suffering from increased air pollution, quickly arose and civic groups such as ClientEarth and Za Zemiata Access to Justice turned to the European Commission to seek compensation for affected citizens and close down these operations. Citizens organized protests and demonstrations at Bobov Bol and Brikel.[7]
In May 2020, one of Republika's ash ponds burst and released a flood of water which large amounts of coal slag. The wastewater spread to over nine hectares and caused the evacuation of nearby neighbourhoods. Greenpeace Bulgaria staged a protest in July in one of the football fields previously covered by the contaminated water.[8]
As of 2022, the plant remained a permanent air polluter with repeatedly established violations.[9][10] After reports of air pollution in the city of Pernik, experts inspected the power station and found that the harmful emissions are due to cracks, holes, and unsealed sections in the building that hosts the steam generators. Toplofikacia Pernik was to be issued two fines for violating the environmental legislation.[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dnevnik.bg (2007-01-30). "ТЕЦ "Република" започна реконструкция на най-мощния си парогенератор". Dnevnik (in български). Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ Petrova, Aleksia (February 5, 2021). "Bulgaria's TPP Republika to partially switch to nat gas via 4 mln euro investment - report". SeeNews. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ "BTA: ТЕЦ "Република" отбелязва 70-годишен юбилей". www.youtube.com. December 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "От Европейската комисия посетиха ТЕЦ „Бобов дол" и ТЕЦ „Република"". dariknews.bg. February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Greenpeace - Europe's Oldest Operational Coal Power Plant Becomes a "Museum" Web Video (Bulgarian)". Greenpeace Media. October 13, 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Bulgaria: The Roma community that got trapped in a coal pit | Minority Rights Group". Minority Rights Group. 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ Doyle, Dominique (2020-03-02). "Challenging Bulgarian coal plants' new waste burning obsession". Euractiv. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ Todorovic, Igor (2020-08-20). "Greenpeace demands coal phaseout in Bulgaria by 2030". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ↑ "Установено е изпускане на неорганизирани емисии от ТЕЦ „Република"". dariknews.bg. July 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Harmful Emissions Released by Republika TPP near Pernik". www.bta.bg. July 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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.
