Bobov Dol Coal Mines

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Bobov Dol Coal Mines (Бобов Дол) is an operating coal mine in Bobov Dol, Kyustendil, Bulgaria.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Bobov Dol Coal Mines	Bobov Dol, Bobov Dol, Kyustendil, Bulgaria	42.3784871498802, 22.9973242028776 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	–	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	0.5	2023	Surface	Open Pit	–	50*	393.4952703*

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
100	2018	–	Bobov Dol	Subbituminous	Thermal	Coal Plant

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Note: To access more comprehensive data on energy ownership, please visit the Global Energy Ownership Tracker.

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Grand Energi EOOD [100.0%]	Grand Energi EOOD	Bulgaria

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

Note: The asterisk (*) indicates that the value is an estimated figure based on various factors, including the company's forecasted or reported monthly or quarterly production data, etc.

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Saleable	1	0.9	0.73*	0.56	0.53	0.46	0.5	–	–

Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

Vagledobiv Bobov Dol Eood Coal Mine (known as Bobov Dol) is a surface coal mine located in Bobov Dol, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria.

Previously, Bobov Dol was a mine complex comprised of five underground mines and one opencast pit. However, in 2018, the last underground mine at Bobov Dol (which was also the last underground mine in Bulgaria) closed, leaving only the open pit ("Hristo Botev") operational. The Vagledobiv Bobov Dol Eood mine is located in the Bobov Dol coalfield—the largest deposit of Subbituminous coal in Bulgaria.The mine supplies the nearby Bobov Dol power station and to households.

According to the 2021 Energy Bulletin published by the Ministry of Energy of Bulgaria, production of Subbituminous coal in Bulgaria was only 0.84 million tonnes (3% of total national production of 28 million tonnes). This was represented by Pernik coal field (37% or 0.31 million tonnes) and Bobov Dol coal field (63% or 0.52 million tonnes in 2021). The same report by the Ministry of Energy from 2022 stated that coal production from the Bobov Dol mine was 0.45 Mt (or 65% of total Subbituminous coal extraction of 0.7Mt).

Several reports state that the operating company VAGLEDOBIV BOBOV DOL EOOD became bankrupt in 2019 and the coal mine stopped operations. The company is allegedly owned by a businessman Hristo Kovacki, who also owns Pernik Coal Mine and other smaller mines in Bulgaria. In February 2019, the Bulgarian Council of Ministers approved the transfer of concession rights for the "Bobov Dol" section of the Bobovdol coalfield from VAGLEDOBIV BOBOV DOL EOOD to a new concessionaire, Grand Energi EOOD (Гранд Енерджи ЕООД). According to the Bulgarian Commercial Register, the sole registered owner of Grand Energi EOOD at the time of the transfer was Aleksandar Spasov. Media reports suggested that the new concessionaire was also likely connected to businessman Hristo Kovachki, given its historical ties to the Bobov Dol power station and other companies within his alleged business network.

Coal production appeared to continue in the Bobov Doal coalfield, according to Ministry of Energy's 2021-2023 Bulletins. It is presumed that the closure refers to the underground coal extraction, while the surface coal production continues in the Bobov dol basin. It appeared that that the rights under teh concession agreement to extract coal were transferred to another company.

Phase-out Context

In January 2023, the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy published the Strategic Vision for Sustainable Development of the Energy Sector of the Republic of Bulgaria 2023–2053, which envisaged the continued use of domestic coal until 2030 and a gradual phase-out by 2038. Through the Just Transition Fund, Bulgaria may access EUR 1.12 billion to support affected coal regions, including Kyustendil, Pernik, and Stara Zagora.

Bulgarian Mining and Geology Chamber reported, that coal extraction in Bulgaria declined by 29% in 2024 compared to the previous year, and by nearly 60% over the preceding two years, driven by European climate policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuels in electricity generation.

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.