Proposed renewables ban on cropland in Bulgaria to be dropped - MP

(ADPnews) - Oct 21, 2010 - The proposed ban on building renewable energy projects on agricultural land in Bulgaria will be dropped at second reading of the law on protection of agricultural lands, Martin Dimitrov, chair of the Economy, Energy and Tourism committee at the National Parliament, told an investor forum on Thursday.

Speaking at the "Wind Power in Bulgaria: gearing up for 2020" workshop, organised in Sofia by the European Wind Energy Association, Dimitrov said that although the issue is still troubling the minds of investors, he strongly believes that it would be only a bad memory soon.

The ban, passed by Parliament at first reading in June this year, prohibits the construction of green energy projects on farmland included in categories one through four, or the most fertile land in the country.

"We have already got the attention of many MPs and convinced them that such a measure is unreasonable and discriminative as no restrictions are envisaged on building nuclear or thermoelectric plants, just on renewable energy plants", Dimitrov explained.

The economic commission is against this ban, he added.

Kutlay Arin, manager government relations at wind turbine maker Vestas (CPH:VWS) also underlined that the ban is the most urgent issue to be tackled as part of a larger government effort to stabilise political framework for renewable energy development in Bulgaria.

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