More information
Description
The municipalities of Pernik and Bobov Dol, responsible for coal based electricity production, together with the Stara Zagora region, provide over 45% of the total energy resource of Bulgaria. Transitioning to a carbon neutral economy is a considerable task for these regions. The project seeks to improve the capacity of Pernik and Bobov Dol municipality to develop and implement workable policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
The project support policies on a local level which will help for reduction of greenhouse emissions and adaptation and mitigation to climate changes through pilot measures such as installation of hydrogen based heating systems in several municipal buildings in each municipality. This will allow for a drastic reduction of harmful emissions and around 50% decline in the consumption of conventional fuel.
The campaign will also include trainings, press-conference and analysis to identify the answers to some key questions such as which sectors are with highest percentage of CO2 emissions, which ones successfully apply the principles of collection and storage of the emissions and how to energy transform the CO2 emission- intensive regions.
More information about the project is available here:
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address several critical challenges related to the transition of municipalities Pernik and Bobov Dol, which are heavily reliant on coal for electricity and heat production, to a carbon-neutral economy.
The municipalities, due to their reliance on coal for energy, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, which is a major factor in climate change. The shift away from coal-based energy production towards more sustainable energy solutions presents a significant challenge, as these municipalities need to adapt their economies and energy systems to meet the goals of decarbonization.
Both municipalities needed to develop policies and actions to not only reduce emissions but also adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change. This includes addressing the negative effects of climate change on local communities and economies. They also needed to identify and implement circular economy strategies to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency, which is crucial for achieving sustainability.
There was also a need to strengthen the capacity of municipal staff to develop and implement policies and projects related to energy transformation, carbon neutrality, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The project''s focus is to develop strategies, build local capacity, and implement pilot projects that will directly address these issues, with the goal of achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral future for Pernik and Bobov Dol.
As a result of the implementation of the project, a mechanism for analysis, evaluation and adaptation of strategic documents at regional and local level was established for the implementation of active policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation and mitigation of climate change. This mechanism can be disseminated and implemented in other municipalities or regions of the country in order to provide sustainability of the project results.
The most important result achieved under the project were the demonstration measures implemented in municipal buildings of public importance. These measures include the pilot supply and installation of systems for the production of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture using the pulse electrolysis method of water for a total of 6 buildings (municipal administration buildings and public schools) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The effect of implementing the pilot measures is a saving in the amount of conventional fuel used by up to 50% and a drastic reduction in harmful emissions – SO2 by up to 30%, CO2 by up to 30%, NOx by up to 25%, PM by 6 to 8 times. This measures can also be promoted and implemented in other settlements, municipalities and districts in the country as a good practice in financial and environmental terms, optimizing heating costs by up to 50% and at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful emissions by up to 30%.
Last but not least, over 30 professionals from municipal administrations and socio-economic partners were trained to develop and implement measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change, increase dialogue, coordination and interaction in the development and implementation of measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to implementation of the two action plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the consequences of climate change at the local level in Pernik and Bobov dol. By increasing the expert capacity of stakeholders, a core of experts that will ensure the institutional sustainability of the project and in the long run will develop and implement active policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt and mitigate climate change was created.
The two participating municipalities (Pernik and Bobov Dol) are one of the most affected in terms of transforming their economies into carbon neutral ones and ensuring just transition to alternative and sustainable economic activities in view of the set goals at the European Union level for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Given the goals and challenges of the EU and the Republic of Bulgaria as part of the European Community, the project focused on increasing the capacity to develop active policies at local level for adaptation and mitigation of climate change in order to create a mechanism for analysis, assessment and inclusion of local potential for adaptation and gradual transition to zero net balance of greenhouse gas emissions at the local level.
In view of the identified challenges, the project directly involved representatives of stakeholders and target groups in the municipalities of Pernik and Bobov Dol, as follows:
• Employees of the Municipal Administrations of the municipalities of Pernik and Bobov Dol;
• Local socio-economic partners - trade unions, industry organizations, businesses with strong influence on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, NGOs working in the field of environmental protection, energy transformation and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The following stakeholders will also be indirectly affected by the project:
• The population on the territory of the two municipalities of Pernik and Bobov Dol;
• The general public and journalists from the region and the country.