Heating utility Toplofikatsia Sofia will invest BGN 32 M in the construction of a turbine for co-generation which will replace the depreciated facility at the Sofia Thermal Power Plant.

The new unit will boost the productivity of the TPP by allowing it to save fuel and reduce carbon emissions.

The installation will be built by a consortium of Risk Engineering and Silovi Machini and will be put into operation in 2014.

According to Stoyan Tsvetanov, CEO of Toplofikatsia Sofia, the step will allow the TPP to produce 5% more energy by using 10% less fuel.

The turbine will generate 40 MW of electricity and 80 MW of district heating energy per hour.

Its launch should reduce natural gas consumption by over 10 million cubic meters per year, while harmful emissions will be slashed by almost 20 000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The new turbine for co-generation will be built as a part of a future installation which will allow Sofia TPP to burn the remnants from the activity of the capital's future waste treatment plant of the capital.

When both facilities are built, the one burning waste will alone reduce the plant's gas consumption by around 10%.