Troyanovo-North Coal Mine

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Troyanovo-North Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Lyubenovo, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Troyanovo-North Coal Mine	Lyubenovo, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria	42.2737, 26.0138 (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	–	1964	–

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
–	3.72	2024	Surface	Open Pit	–	50.0*	888.0*

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
–	–	–	MaritsaIztok Basin	Lignite	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
Mini Maritsa Iztok EAD	Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD [100.0%]	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	–	–	–	–	–	8*	5.15*	3.72	–

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

Ownership Tree

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

Background

Troyanovo-North Coal Mine (рудник Трояново-Север) is a SURFACE mine located near Lyubenovo, Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria.

The mine is part of the Maritsa Coal Mines which includes 3 mines (Troyanovo-North, Troyanovo 1 Coal Mine and Troyanovo 3 Coal Mine). Maritsa Coal Mines account for about 96% of Bulgaria's coal production. The mines are part of the Maritsa Iztok Complex and provide coal to the Maritsa Iztok-1 Power Station, Maritsa Iztok-2 Power Station, Maritsa Iztok-3 Power Station and Brikel power station. Most of the information and updates available are jointly for the three mines. Please refer to Maritsa Coal Mines for more background information.

Troyanovo-North Mine

Troyanovo-North mine is located in the northern part of the Maritsa Iztok coalfield. To the north lies the deposit boundary and to its south the Troyanovo-1 mine.

In November 2019, two new bucket-wheel excavators- KWK 2000 and KWK 400L - were transferred for operation to Troyanovo-North mine. The  project value was EUR 25.8 million and it was financed by the Company's own contribution of 50% and a grant of 50% received from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development  under the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund.

In 9 months 2022, production from the mine reached 5.9 million tonnes. 2.1 million was sold to Brikel power station and 3.8 million tonnes to Maritsa Iztok-1 power station.

Total 2022 production of the Maritsa Coal Mines reached 34.2 Mt, up from 27Mt in 2021. With no individual break-down per mine for 2022, based on 9m 2022 data, it is estimated that Troyanovo-North coal mine contributed 3 million tonnes. However production slumped in 2023 with 9m 2023 level at 3.7 Mt.

As of July 2024, coal production of Mini Maritsa was said to be 50% down compared with 2023 levels.

Bulgaria will receive €1.2 billion from the Just Transition Fund following the adoption of Bulgaria's Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs) by the European Commission today in late 2023. The JTF will help deliver new jobs and economic activities for a just transition in the Bulgarian regions of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik that face the biggest socio-economic challenges in phasing out coal and reducing CO2 emissions. It also targets to support Bulgaria to reach the EU 2030 climate and energy targets, and a climate-neutral economy by 2050. In late 2024, the European Commission, joined the panel "Financing the Transition: Options and Challenges" to emphasize the unprecedented level of EU funding available: “Bulgaria can benefit from funds under the Resilience and Recovery Plan, the Just Transition Fund, the Public Sector Laon Facility, the Invest EU JTF dedicated scheme – to name a few. However, the funding available is timebound and has specific rules to be applied and therefore, needs to be accessed as soon as possible.

Coal production at the Mini Maritsa Iztok mining complex declined to less than 14 million tonnes in 2024. Future production from the Maritsa East mines was expected to stabilize at around 10–12 million tonnes annually. Plans were announced to merge the operations of Troyanovo-1 and Troyanovo-3 mines into a single mining unit named “Troyanovo South” as part of efforts to maintain the economic viability of the Maritsa East mining complex. Plans indicated that the Troyanovo-North mine would gradually transition from active coal extraction to land reclamation activities as part of the long-term restructuring of the Maritsa East mining complex.

Solar Plans

As of early 2025, there were plans to build two solar plants near the near the Troyanovo - North and Troyanovo - 3 mines, with a total production capacity of 150 megawatts, in addition to energy storage facilities with a 60 MW capacity. The project was announced in July 2024, but as of early 2025 was at the "working project" stage and the search for suitable schemes for its financing.

Rare Earth Minerals

In June 2025, it was reported that preliminary geological surveys at the Maritsa Iztok coalfield had identified the presence of rare earth elements including neodymium, cerium, lanthanum and yttrium, as well as elevated concentrations of rhenium and tellurium in the ash from the associated power stations. Elevated concentrations of lithium were also found in mining waters at the site. The Bulgarian Minister of Energy stated that the potential presence of rare earth minerals could open new economic perspectives for the Maritsa Iztok complex beyond coal extraction.

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.

Articles and Resources

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.