Stambolovo Residents Protest 180-MW Solar Park Project

On 8 August, villagers from Zhlti Bryag in Stambolovo Municipality (Haskovo Province, Bulgaria) gathered at 10:00 a.m. to block a main crossroads and demand the halt of a planned 180‑megawatt photovoltaic power plant and its associated sub‑station. The project would cover more than 1 700 decares of land across the villages of Zhlti Bryag and Stambolovo.

Organisers say the development lacks a proper environmental impact assessment, threatens habitats of twelve protected bird species and endangered turtle species, and could create a “heat island” raising local temperatures by about five degrees Celsius. They note a nearby large solar park in the village of Knizhnik as a precedent. The land was sold by the Stambolovo municipal council in 2006 for a golf‑course scheme that never materialised. Residents have filed a complaint with the Haskovo regional governor, who replied that statutory appeal periods have expired and there is no administrative mechanism to stop the construction.

Protesters are calling for state intervention to protect their environment and way of life.