site.btaDecember 24, 1981: TPP Maritsa Iztok 3 Officially Inaugurated

On December 24, 1981, TPP Maritsa Iztok 3 (now ContourGlobal Maritsa Iztok 3) in southern Bulgaria was officially inaugurated. The power plant was equipped with four generating units of 210 megawatts each, with a total installed capacity of 840 megawatts, as well as four steam generators producing 670 tonnes of steam per hour, and an annual electricity output of around 5 billion kilowatt-hours.

Construction of the plant near the village of Mednikarovo began on August 19, 1968. The first generating unit was commissioned on January 31, 1978, followed by the second on January 17, 1979. The ceremonial opening of the first two units took place on September 7, 1979. On December 30, 1979, the third generating unit was put into trial operation and entered regular commercial operation on April 1, 1980. In September 1981, the fourth and final generating unit was commissioned, bringing the plant to its planned capacity of 840 megawatts.

In 2009, following the completion of an investment programme by Enel Maritsa Iztok 3 (73% owned by the Italian energy company Enel and 27% by the National Electricity Company, the state-owned power utility), the plant became the first lignite-fired thermal power plant in the Balkans to operate in full compliance with European environmental standards, with sulphur dioxide emissions reduced by more than 90%.

In 2012, the US energy company ContourGlobal acquired Enel’s stake in the plant.