Entanglements and transformations on the axis of dependence and independence in the Maritsa coal region
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Date
2026-08-02
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Plovdiv University Press
Abstract
The question of energy independence is central to the public debate surrounding the planned
closure of Bulgaria’s coal-powered energy industry. However, (in)dependence manifests itself at
different levels in the personal retellings of workers and dwellers from the Maritsa East region. This
contribution examines images and narratives of dependence and independence against the backdrop
of the initiated shutdown of the coal industry. Furthermore, it explores how the emerging
“dependence-independence” axis interacts with the drive for decarbonisation, the dream of a just
transition, and the ways in which shifting energopower shapes life in a coal region in transition.
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Keywords
energopower, energopolitics, decarbonisation, just transition, coal communities