A Turkish project for the construction of a thermal power plant right on Bulgaria's Black Sea land border, in the town of Igneada, near the Bulgarian village of Rezovo, has been frozen only temporarily, a local Socialist opposition leader claims.

According to Atanas Zafirov, chairman of the regional organization of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, the construction of a TPP is progressing on the Bulgarian border – referring to numerous reports in Bulgarian and Turkish for the construction of either a thermal plant, or a nuclear power plant in Turkey's Igneada, which has caused major concerns in Bulgaria on environmental grounds.

Speaking days after Bulgarian Economy Minister Delyan Dobrev reassured the Bulgarian Parliament that Turkey plans to build no NPP or TPP on the Bulgarian border, or even if it did, it was going to consult Bulgaria first, Zafirov claimed that a TPP project is in place in Igneada.

In his words, the authorities in Turkey are well aware of the TPP project near Rezovo, which is why Turkish mayors who attended a recent round table in Bulgaria's Burgas were surprised as why they are invited to discuss a matter that has already been settled, i.e. meaning that the TPP project in question is under way.

According to Zafirov, during his visit in Burgas Igneada Mayor Tahir Isik mentioned that the temporarily terminated project for the construction of TPP will be resume in six months – but nobody in Bulgaria paid attention to his words.

"Let's clarify – yes, the project has been terminated but we expect to see new developments in six months. And what comes in six months? In six months there will be general elections in Bulgaria," the Socialist leader in Burgas told Darik Radio Tuesday.

He went further so as to suggest that Bulgaria's Borisov Cabinet is well aware of the development, and has made a covert deal with the Turkish government under which the project will be delayed until after the Bulgarian general elections so that the ruling party GERB would not lose popularity, and the Turkish TPP right on the Bulgarian border, close to key Black Sea resorts, will be developed by German company RWE – which in 2009 pulled out of the project for the construction of a second Bulgarian NPP in Belene on the Danube.

Zafirov said back in RWE, who was supposed to be the strategic investor in Belene, gave no clear-cut answer why they left the project but they did leave in 2009 right after the GERB government assumed power.

"Now pay attention – it turns out that the TPP to be built in Turkey will be constructed by RWE. See how it all fits nicely – "You will give that up but will get a nice compensation"," the Burgas Socialist leader claimed.

According to Zafirov, the matter for the building of a Turkish TPP on the Bulgarian border near Rezovo was settled between the parties of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Zafirov further quoted publications in some Turkish newspapers saying that Turkey is an independent state deciding what it should built on its own, and that sooner or later Bulgaria will have to import electricity from Turkey.

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