Maritsa Iztok-3 Power Station

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{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Navbar-Bulgariaandcoal}}Maritsa Iztok Complex (Iztok means East in Bulgarian) is the largest energy complex in South Eastern Europe. It consist of the Maritsa Iztok-1 power station, Maritsa Iztok-2 power station, and Maritsa Iztok-3 power station in Bulgaria.

Location

The map below shows Maritsa Iztok-3 in Stara Zagora Province.

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Background on the Maritsa Iztok Complex

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.[1]

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 908MW, which is produced by four units of each 227MW. It has a 325 m tall chimney.[2]

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.[3] In 2002, the Italian power company Enel joined the project; in 2006 Enel acquired Entergy's stake.[4] 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%).[5] In 2011, Enel sold its majority share to Contour Global, a U.S. investment fund.[6]

New unit proposed at Maritsa Iztok-3

Enel planned invest in a new 700 MW coal-fired power plant next to the existing Maritsa Iztok-3 plant, with coal supplied from the Maritsa Iztok coal basin in Southern Bulgaria. The new power plant was expected to cost €900 million.[7]

New owner

In 2011 US energy company ContourGlobal became the new owner of Bulgaria's coal-fired power plant Enel Maritsa East 3, renaming it ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3. Enel said the power station was not in line with the development strategy of the group, suspending its proposed new unit.[8]

Project Details for unit 5

  • Sponsor: Enel
  • Parent company:
  • Developer:
  • Location: Galabovo, Bulgaria
  • Coordinates: 42.1444, 26.0033 (exact)
  • Status: Cancelled
  • Capacity: 700 MW
  • Type:
  • Start date:
  • Coal Type: Lignite
  • Coal Source: Maritsa Iztok coal basin
  • Source of financing:

Resources and articles

References

  1. ↑ Velinova, Sia (2007-06-08). "Bulgaria Maritsa Iztok Picks Favourite", SeeNews. Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  2. ↑ Jansson, Eric (2003-04-28). "Infrastructure: Veteran creditors seek partnerships". Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  3. ↑ "Entergy is buying two-thirds stkae in Bulgarian utility" (1998-10-15). Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  4. ↑ "Maritsa Iztok 3 launched" (2003-04-17). Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  5. ↑ "New Power Plant Proposed in Bulgaria" (2006-08-28). Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  6. ↑ "Enel Wraps Up Sale of Bulgaria Plant Stake," Novinite.com, June 28, 2011
  7. ↑ "Italy's Enel Ready to Quickly Build New Power Plant in Bulgaria" (2007-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-03-16. 
  8. ↑ "Enel Maritsa East 3 to be renamed ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3," The Sofia Echo, Sep 14, 2011.

External Articles

Related SourceWatch Articles

Wikipedia also has an article on Maritsa Iztok-3 Power Station. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

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