Maritsa Iztok Complex

Maritsa Iztok Complex (note: Iztok means East in Bulgarian) is the largest energy complex in South Eastern Europe. The map below shows the locations of Maritsa Iztok-1 power station, Maritsa Iztok-2 power station, and Maritsa Iztok-3 power station.

Background
The power complex is located in Stara Zagora Province, south-central Bulgaria. It consists of three lignite-fired thermal power stations. It is located in a large lignite coal basin, which includes several mines, enrichment plants, a briquette plant and its own railway system.

The development of the thermal power and mining complex at Maritsa Iztok began in 1952, but the lignite deposits used to be known well in the mid 19 century. The Maritsa Iztok mines and power plants are interdependent as the only market for coal is the power plants, while the power plants have no other supplier of coal but the mines.

Maritsa Iztok-1 (TPS AES Galabovo)
Maritsa Iztok-1 is located near Galabovo. In October 1998, the old power plant with a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW) was privatized and sold to Consolidated Continental Commerce (3C), later purchased by AES Corporation. On 15 February 2000, AES and the Bulgarian grid operator NEK EAD signed a 15-year tolling agreement, according to which AES has an obligation to replace the old power station with a new facility. In June 2006, AES started construction of the new 670 MW power station. It became operational on 3 June 2011. The new power station consists of two pulverised coal boilers of 335 MW each, two steam turbines, two generators and desulphurisation facilities. The plant was constructed by Alstom. It cost €1.2 billion. It is the first large-scale power plant built in Bulgaria in the last 20 years, and the single largest foreign investment in Bulgaria and one of the largest green field investments in South East Europe. The plant will get its coal through a 15-year lignite supply agreement with the state-owned mining company, Maritsa East Mines, and a 15-year power purchase agreement with Bulgaria’s state-owned electricity monopoly, NEC. Funding was provided by a group of banks led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Maritsa Iztok-2
Maritsa Iztok-2 is the largest thermal power plant in the Balkans. It is located 60 km from Stara Zagora in the vicinity of the village of Radetski and the dam lake Ovcharitsa. The construction of Maritsa Iztok-2 started on 7 May 1962; it was inaugurated on 10 November 1966. Between 1979 and 1995 the power station was expanded by four additional units. Maritsa Iztok-2 has a total installed capacity of 1,465 MW and generates 30% of Bulgaria's electricity. It consists of eight generating units, two of which are equipped with flue gas desulphurization plants. The rehabilitation of the older power units, including construction of FGD plants for units 1 to 6, are in progress.

Maritsa Iztok-2 is wholly state-owned. It is a subsidiary of Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH).

Maritsa Iztok-2 Units 9 and 10
In November 2012, Bulgarian Energy Holding announced that it was making plans to two new units at the Maritsa Iztok-2 station, and seeking a strategic investor, with whom costs and revenues would be split on a percentage ownership basis. Each new unit wwould be 280 MW.

Maritsa Iztok-3
Maritsa Iztok-3 is Bulgaria’s third-largest power plant. It is located 40 km from Stara Zagora. The power plant has an installed capacity of 900 MW, which is produced by four units of each 225 MW. It has a 325 m tall chimney.

In 1998, the United States power utility Entergy purchased 73% of Maritsa Iztok-3 shares for US$375 million from the Bulgarian state. Entergy also has the obligation to modernize the power station. In 2002, the Italian power company Enel joined the project; in 2006 Enel acquired Entergy's stake. Until 2011, Maritsa Iztok-3 was owned and operated by Energiina Kompaniya Maritsa Iztok 3 AD, a joint venture of Enel (73%) and NEK (27%). In 2011, Enel sold its majority share to Contour Global, a U.S. investment fund.

Enel planned invest in a new 700-800 MW coal-fired power plant next to the existing Maritsa Iztok-3 plant. The new power plant was expected to cost €900 million.

Bulgarian Coal mine strike halts exports
A coal mine strike in January 2012 halted electricity exports to neighboring Balkan countries. Bulgaria exports nearly 850 megawatts of electricity per hour to Greece, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia and Turkey. The country exported 10.5 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) in 2011. The mines supply the biggest state thermal power plant, Maritza East Power Station, as well as plants controlled by U.S.-based power provider AES and ContourGlobal and the private Bulgarian Brikel plant, all in southeastern Bulgaria.

External Articles

 * Sia Velinova, "Bulgaria Maritsa Iztok Picks Favourite",  SeeNews, June 8, 2007.

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