Country Review

BULGARIA

According to Kyoto protocol Bulgaria is responsible to reduce greenhouse emissions with 8 % in comparison to 1988, approved as a basic year. The level of emissions for 1988, transformed into equivalent of CO2, is recorded as 100.28 MT/y. Reduction of emissions with 8 % means 8.02 MT/y. So, the limit of responsibilities accepted by the country for the period of 2008-2012 is 92.26 MT/y CO2 equivalent.

Responsible for monitoring and control of emissions in Bulgarian are the Ministry of Environment and Waters and the Ministry of Energy and Energy Resources. Both developed structural models with a number of scenarios, which predict the level of emissions for the monitored time-period and after that. In general, the year’s emissions in the country are still below the critical values, accepted in Kyoto. However, along with the development of national industry the emissions will also increase during the next years. They can reach the critical level of 92 MT/y soon, if the future intentions of Bulgarian Government to turn the country into energy centre on the Balkans take place. If the sustainable power production achieves the former capacity of "Kozloduy" nuclear power plant, partly closed during the last years, the emissions from new build thermal power plants will increase significantly.The expected situation requires activities in time. Besides the Kyoto responsibilities, Bulgaria is expecting to accept a number of EU directives, in particular the 2001 / 80/EU directive for large combustion installations, where requirements are rather high. In that sense discussing and managing the emissions is an issue of strategic planning.

The option for capturing and depositing of C02 in natural geological reservoirs (storages) is estimated as extremely prosperous and beneficial. The high rate of exploration in the thick sedimentary succession of Northern Bulgaria is a favour precondition for development of CO2 storage activities not only for emissions from Bulgarian industry, but also for trans-boundary exchange.