site.btaOutgoing Prime Minister: Maritsa Basin Could Be Key to Development of Bulgaria’s Competitiveness

The Maritsa Basin offers opportunities and potential, and the region could be extremely important for the development of Bulgaria’s competitiveness, Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said Thursday during the signing of an agreement between the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), and Mini Maritsa Iztok for cooperation in the exploration of critical raw materials and rare earth elements, the government information service said.

According to Zhelyazkov, the issue should be approached pragmatically, with a focus on achieving sustainable benefits for the country, while at the same time establishing Bulgaria as a reliable and attractive partner. “If until a year ago we were talking about how to prevent contraction, now we are already talking about how to expand the basin’s opportunities. I am proud that many of the problems Bulgaria generally carries with it we managed to solve in a consistent, sound, and continuous manner,” he added.

Zhelyazkov recalled that raw materials are among the key elements of global competition and pointed to energy as a core sector for Bulgaria which, together with the country’s strategic location and connectivity, provides an opportunity for Bulgaria to be a significant factor in Southeast Europe.

Outgoing Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov also stressed the potential of coal for the extraction of rare earth elements and critical raw materials contained in it. He noted that within Bulgarian Energy Holding a new dedicated directorate will be established, responsible for exploration, geological activities, and innovation, including in the area of critical raw materials. For the first time in Bulgaria’s modern history, the Bulgarian state will not only benefit from concession fees related to the search and exploration of oil and gas or critical raw materials, but will also participate directly and build capacity in this field, Minister Stankov said.

As early as the middle of last year the government began accelerating processes related to the search for and development of deposits with potential for the extraction of strategic, critical, and rare earth raw materials, with a focus on the East Maritsa Coal Basin, the statement recalls. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Bulgarian Energy Holding and the University of North Dakota, one of the leading scientific institutions in this field. At the national level, actions were undertaken by BEH, Mini Maritsa Iztok, and the Geological Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences regarding the exploration of the potential of the East Maritsa Coal Basin. Ten deep drillings were carried out at the three mines, from which BAS will select a total of between 400 and 600 samples to be analyzed in national laboratories to determine the concentrations of the full spectrum of rare earth elements and critical raw materials.

The East Maritsa Coal Basin is the largest lignite coal deposit in the country, with a productive area of 240 square kilometers. Studies on the presence of rare earth elements in lignite coal open a real prospect for a new life for the region. They create an opportunity to increase coal production by up to 20%, which would mean preserving employment and developing a new economic activity with high added value.