site.btaVeliko Tarnovo Authorities Suspend Kronospan’s Particleboard Production over Odour and Smoke Complaints

The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) in Veliko Tarnovo suspended the operation of the particleboard line at the Kronospan wood-processing plant in the regional capital, the Ministry of Environment and Water said on Friday.

The measure was imposed following an unscheduled inspection on January 15, in response to citizen reports of smoke and the spread of strong wood and adhesive odours in residential areas of the city. The order suspends production on the particleboard line, including the drying facility, a 45 MW hot air unit, and a 3 MW hot air unit.

The measure will remain in place until the installation is fully compliant with the requirements of the company's integrated environmental permit. The basis for the measure is non-compliance with a condition in the permit, which requires that all site activities be carried out in a manner that prevents the spread of odours beyond the production site boundaries. During inspections in the Buzludzha and Cholakovtsi districts of Veliko Tarnovo and on several streets in the city, a characteristic wood odour from wood-based panel production was detected, along with a bluish, azure-hued haze, despite clear and sunny weather.

According to expert findings, the only possible source of these impacts is the particleboard production facility.

The RIEW noted that similar violations of the same permit condition were observed in December 2025 and in previous periods. In 2024 and 2025, the company received multiple administrative offence notices, and the number of citizen complaints increased significantly, exceeding 430 in 2025 alone. The company was given a deadline to submit to the RIEW a plan for the safe suspension of the particleboard line. It was also required to propose specific measures to be approved by the RIEW and the Regional Health Inspectorate.

Last year, an interagency working group did not detect any exceedances of the emission limits set in the integrated environmental permit for Kronospan Bulgaria, according to a report published on the Health Ministry website on December 29, 2025. In November, the company said they were planning to invest EUR 20 million in purification installations over the next 18 months.