Bulgaria's Largest Тhermal Power Plant Maritsa East 2 Exceeds H1 Output Target by 19.6%

The plant generated 3.666 million MWh in the first six months of 2008, up 15.9% year-on-year, it said in a statement posted on its website.

The power plant will launch its upgraded unit four on December 27, four months early, and unit three on October 1, three months ahead of schedule, in a move to add additional 350 MW of installed capacity to the national grid in the winter months, the statement added.

After the launch of the two units the installed capacity of the plant will increase to 1,556 MW from the current 1,450 MW. Maritsa East 2 will further expand its installed capacity to 1,577 MW through the modernisation of its unit five and unit six, scheduled to start in 2009.

Bulgaria, which joined the European Union in 2007, relies heavily on coal generation after it closed four of the six reactors at its sole nuclear plant Kozloduy. To allay EU safety concerns, it shut the first pair of 440-MW reactors at Kozloduy in 2002 and a second pair at the end of 2006. At present Kozloduy operates its two remaining nuclear reactors of 1,000 MW each.