March 25 (SeeNews) - The European Commission (EC) said it has approved an investment of over 77 million euro ($83.2 million) which will support the construction of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Bulgaria's capital Sofia.
This will be a high-efficient plant for simultaneous production of heat and electricity, using fuel derived from unrecyclable municipal waste, the Commission said in a statement last week.
The investment, provided from the European Regional Development Fund, aims to upgrade the integrated waste management system in the city of Sofia.
According to EC's estimates, when constructed, the plant will produce heat and electricity with a capacity of approximately 55 MW of heat and 19 MW of electricity.
This means heat for 40,000 people and electricity for 30,000 people, the statement reads.
A so-called “co-generation” process will provide Sofia citizens with better access to affordable energy while protecting the environment, the Commission noted.
"Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, recover and dispose: this investment is in line with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and it’s essential for a modern, efficient and sustainable waste management system in Sofia," Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, said as quoted in the statement.
The project is the final part of a three-phase waste management programme to reduce the environmental impact of waste, improve recycling and stimulate investment in waste management in Sofia, it added.
In November, EC approved Bulgaria's plans to provide financial support for the construction of the CHP plant.
The support will consist of a direct grant of some 90.8 million euro financed by EU structural funds managed by Bulgaria, and a 3 million euro loan granted by Sofia municipality, the Commission said at the time.
($ = 0.925839 euro)