Bulgaria's second-largest coal-fired power plant shuts down, workers laid off

Today is the last day of operation of Bulgaria's second largest coal-fired power plant, ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 TPP. From tomorrow, 130 of the company's 160 employees will be laid off.

In recent weeks, the state, which has a 27% stake in the privately owned thermal power plant, has been looking for a solution to keep the workers on the job, as well as a possible sale of the company to an investor. This was announced in parliament at the end of February by Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov. At this stage, however, there is no information on any progress.

The redundancies at ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 began a year ago, when the company's power purchase agreement with Bulgarian electricity utility Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania EAD (NEK) expired. The plant was briefly reactivated in the summer of 2024 when electricity prices rose, after which some of the workers were laid off again. Information provided by BNR Stara Zagora.