Greenpeace unfurls a massive “Toxic” banner at major coal plant in Bulgaria that threatens human lives

Golemo Selo, Bulgaria, 27 May, 2026 — Today, Greenpeace activists from Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania, deployed a massive "TOXIC" banner directly beneath the chimneys of the Bobov Dol Thermal Coal Power Plant. The direct action demands an immediate, permanent restriction on the facility's operations and calls out the Bulgarian government’s irresponsible refusal to halt a chronic, rule-breaking offender.

This mobilization in Bulgaria arrives amidst a growing global wave of public resistance. Across the world, everyday people are rising up against coal-fired infrastructure, rejecting the long-standing industry assertion that compromising public health and climate stability is the unavoidable price of energy security. As climate change continues to fuel devastating wildfires, catastrophic floods, and lethal heatwaves, communities are demanding a fundamental shift toward safety, economic stability, and survival. From recent mass escalations blocking the world's largest coal ports to high-stakes legal battles against major coal operators in Poland, public patience for regulatory complacency has run out. 

Crucially, this relentless pressure is delivering major systemic victories. Just days ago, Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court issued a landmark final ruling revoking the unlawful air pollution exemptions granted to Maritsa East 2, the country's largest coal plant. This historic decision completely dismantles corporate loopholes by establishing that regulators must evaluate cumulative regional health tolls and objective scientific data, sending a clear warning to thousands of non-compliant industrial facilities across the EU. Internationally, these efforts mirror global milestones, such as the UK closing its final coal-fired power station to end 140 years of coal dependency, and court victories that forced the Dutch government into mandated coal shutdowns. These local battles against dirty energy signals that there is a growing demand for safety, economic stability, and survival around the world.

Bulgarian Mogul Hristo Kovachki’s Business Model Built on Coal, Waste, and Pollution

The Bobov Dol plant, widely recognized as part of Hristo Kovachki’s opaque "Coal Empire," operates primarily on low-quality lignite coal, one of the most carbon-heavy and polluting fossil fuels in existence. Compounding the damage, Greenpeace investigations have exposed how the plant has integrated waste incineration into its operations as a loophole to evade carbon emission costs. It currently holds a permit to burn 34,000 tons of waste annually and is quietly seeking a fivefold increase to 185,000 tons—effectively turning the facility into a massive regional incinerator.

Data from the Executive Environment Agency and local monitoring stations revealed a staggering 55 illegal exceedances of toxic sulfur dioxide hourly limits in 2025 alone—more than double the legally permissible European limit of 24. Local communities are routinely blanketed by a thick layer of black dust, while the plant has faced repeated sanctions for severe water pollution.

Bulgarian State’s Irresponsibility vs. European Climate Targets

Greenpeace Bulgaria condemns the Bulgarian State’s systemic irresponsibility. Instead of enforcing environmental laws, authorities have shielded the plant’s operator—linked to energy mogul Hristo Kovachki—allowing the facility to evade consequences through ineffective repairs and endless legal appeals. Greenpeace recently filed a formal complaint with the European Commission over these structural failures, noting that shuffling operations from one toxic unit to another is not an energy strategy; it is state-sanctioned negligence.

By allowing this facility to operate outside the rules, the Bulgarian government is actively undermining the European Union’s binding climate targets, which mandate a rapid, managed transition away from fossil fuels to prevent further climate destabilization.

The Economic Viability of the Green Transition

The Bulgarian state’s narrative that this coal plant is "irreplaceable" for grid balancing is a dangerous myth that locks households into toxic dependency and volatile energy markets.

The old excuse that we need to burn dirty coal to keep the lights on is completely dead," said Desislava Mikova, Campaigns Manager at Greenpeace Bulgaria. "Right now, modern clean energy and battery storage are already cheaper and more reliable than keeping these aging, heavily fined plants on life support. We are demanding that the grid operator step in immediately and put a permanent cap on Bobov Dol. It's time to stop protecting a shady coal empire at the expense of our health, and finally build a clean energy system that will protect the health of Bulgarian citizens and secure their future against extreme weather events."