Residents of seven Bulgarian towns have initiated a petition against the closure of Maritsa East thermal power plant and Maritsa East Mines. The petition has been continuing for the second consecutive week. Almost 2,300 people in Yambol, Southeast Bulgaria, signed the petition, BNR Burgas reported. 

Nearly 25,000 people are directly employed at Maritsa East thermal power plant and Maritsa East Mines. More than 92,000 people are employed at the Maritsa East energy complex and the auxiliary companies, note the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and the Confederation of Labor Podkrepa. The petition begins now, because the Bulgarian National Recovery and Resilience Plan envisages a coal-to-gas transition, i.e. the thermal power plants are to switch from coal to gas.