The residents of Golemo Selo experienced another year of excessive sulfur dioxide pollution under the chimneys of the serial offender Bobov Dol TPP, associated with businessman Hristo Kovachki. This is shown by official data for 2025, reports "Greenpeace".
In 2025, the mobile station of the Executive Environment Agency recorded 30 exceedances of the average hourly sulfur dioxide norm of 350 micrograms per cubic meter. The law allows up to 24 such exceedances per year.
Since April 2025, there has been a permanent measuring station in Golemo Selo, installed by the Bobov Dol Thermal Power Plant - a new requirement in its permit after strong insistence by the local community. By the end of December 2025, it had registered a total of 25 exceedances of the average hourly norm for sulfur dioxide. The analysis by Greenpeace Bulgaria shows that none of these exceedances coincide with those detected by the mobile station.
This means that for 2025, 55 exceedances of the average hourly norm for sulfur dioxide were registered in the two stations in Golemo Selo, and both stations reported more than the legally permissible 24 exceedances.
Although they represent public information, the institutions keep the air quality data in Golemo Selo secret. “Greenpeace“ – Bulgaria published them after receiving them under the Access to Public Information Act. This is the second time this has happened – the secret gasification by the “Bobov Dol“ TPP came to light with a publication by the organization last June. Since then, nothing has changed – neither the inaction of the institutions, nor the transparency of public information, nor the air pollution in Golemo Selo.
Against this background, the plant, linked to businessman Hristo Kovachki, wants to increase more than five times the amount of waste it is allowed to burn according to its permit. Instead of the currently permitted 35,000 tons per year, the “Bobov Dol“ TPP wants to burn 185,000 tons, it is clear from documents submitted to the control body – the regional eco-inspection.
“Despite the significantly short measurement period, more exceedances of the norm than allowed on an annual basis have been recorded. This shows that the local population is exposed to dangerous pollution, far above the legal limits for health protection. Exceeding the norm should give grounds for closing the plant. In practice, however, Minister Manol Genov invites the systematic offender to write a program to reduce pollution. The authorities should close the Bobov Dol TPP until it carries out sufficient and high-quality repairs so that it can comply with the conditions of its permit. Everything else is an eyesore“, commented Desislava Mikova, coordinator of the Climate and Energy campaign at Greenpeace Bulgaria.