site.btaBulgaria to Purchase 20 Biodiesel-Fuelled Passenger Trains

The transport ministry plans to buy 20 biodiesel-fuelled passenger trains that will meet dual mobility requirements as they can also run on regular diesel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov told reporters at the Tour d'Europe initiative here on Friday. The tender procedure will be announced in the coming days. According to Karadjov, the use of biodiesel is an excellent option in the context of increasingly stringent environmental standards and can facilitate the transition to zero-emission transport.

All fuel distributors are obliged to supply a certain percentage of biofuel to each filling station, the Minister said and added: "From now on, we have almost no excuse not to offer biodiesel fuel in every petrol station." He emphasized that the supply of this fuel will depend on demand, adding that as its use in heavy-duty vehicles, buses and trains increases, it will become more affordable and widespread.

Asked by BTA whether biodiesel production is more expensive, Karadjov said its price is no higher than that of conventional fuel.

Responding to another question related to aviation, Karadjov said that switching to sustainable fuels in that sector may indeed be accompanied by higher prices, since the requirements for the fuel process in aviation are significantly higher. In conventional transport, engines work the same way, so if the biodiesel in a tank is replaced with regular diesel, there will be no difference in engine performance.

While Europe is prioritizing electro-mobility, there has also been a slight shift in European Union policy. According to Karadjov, news in this direction can be expected in the coming months. During the last Transport Council in Luxembourg, the topic was widely discussed, and the European Commission has committed to presenting a new vision for the transition period to full electrification in the short term. This vision must include biodiesel as an important opportunity and a major innovation, Karadjov stressed.