EditSupreme court ends pollution waiver for Bulgaria’s largest coal plant
Until now, the state-owned Maritsa Iztok 2 thermal power plant had been allowed by Bulgarian authorities to exceed sulphur dioxide emission limits
Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court has delivered a landmark ruling stripping the country’s largest coal-fired power plant of the right to continue breaching EU environmental standards.
Until now, the state-owned Maritsa Iztok 2 thermal power plant had been allowed by Bulgarian authorities to exceed sulphur dioxide emission limits, but the court ruled that the exemption was entirely unlawful.
The executive authorities must now issue a new integrated permit for the coal plant, but it is already clear that Bulgaria can no longer legally allow pollution levels to continue at their current scale.
In 2021, Bulgaria’s environmental agency authorised Maritsa Iztok 2 to emit mercury at 30 μg/Nm3 against an EU limit of 7 μg/Nm3, and sulphur dioxide at 570 mg/Nm3 against a limit of 130 mg/Nm3 — more than four times above the EU threshold.
The derogation was justified by the outdated air purification technology used by the state-owned plant, which cannot afford the massive investments required to install modern desulphurisation systems.
The exemption was challenged in court by Bulgaria’s leading environmental organisations, coordinated by “For the Earth” and ”Greenpeace-Bulgaria”. They argued that the permit had been issued without considering the air quality programme in the Galabovo region and the updated permits granted to other coal-fired plants.
Under EU legislation, temporary exemptions from pollution standards are permitted only where the costs of compliance are disproportionately high compared to the environmental and public health benefits.
The court has now ruled that the plant’s operating permit was “issued in breach of the EU requirement to prevent significant pollution and to achieve a high level of environmental protection”.
Supreme Court judges found the permit unlawful because the authorities had failed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the cumulative impact of pollution and had not taken into account all relevant scientific evidence.
If the coal-fired power plant wants to continue operating, it will now have to apply for a new permit.
The government remains silent
It remains unclear how the ruling will affect Bulgaria’s energy system, as Maritsa Iztok 2 and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant form the backbone of electricity supplies for Bulgarian households.
Neither the coal plant nor Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry has so far reacted publicly, despite the issue being critical for securing baseload generation capacity ahead of the summer season.
“This decision is a turning point for European citizens’ right to clean air and a healthy environment. The ruling comes amid a global energy crisis, a chaotic energy transition in Bulgaria, and against the backdrop of the current government’s contradictory statements regarding the future of the coal sector,” Meglena Antonova, Office Director at Greenpeace-Bulgaria, told EUalive.
According to Antonova, the judgment demonstrates that the judicial system can act as a guardian of the public interest because people’s lives and health are a country’s most valuable resource.
“We call on the government, through the Executive Environment Agency and the Ministry of Environment and Water, to develop a plan with specific conditions and timelines that the Maritsa Iztok 2 thermal power plant must adhere to,” she added.
Environmental organisations are also urging the government to provide workers at the coal plant with a realistic outlook for the future of their jobs, while actively working to secure alternative employment opportunities.
Caption: Maritsa Iztok 2 power plant in the Galabovo region
Updated: May 19, 2026 - 15:19
