“Electricity production” branch is a successor of TPP "Maritsa - East 1" and in fact is a thermal power plant. It is the first electric power plant of the “Maritsa - East” Power Complex and it is situated about 5 km far of the town of Galabovo and 45 km far of Stara Zagora city. On the southwest,

the power plant shares a border with "Rozov kladenetz" dam which has a reservoir area of 360 ha.

The dam is a main water source for the technological needs of the electricity production.

The power plant has been designed by “Toploenergoproekt” - Moscow city, in collaboration with “Energoproekt”, Sofia city.

Construction works of the power plant have been completed in two stages.

The first stage covers the period from 1959 - 1962 and considers the heat supply part which includes:

- six drum type boilers, BKZ 210/140 - FB, made by the Barnaul Boiler Plant;
- four steam turbines VPT - 50-4, made by Ecaterininburg Turbine Plant;
- coal drying plant for preliminary coal drying.

The second stage of the construction covers the period from 1963 to 1964 and considers the Condensing part of the Electric power plant and includes two blocks of 150 MW with four direct current steam generators PK - 38 - 1 and two K-150-300 turbines. From 1988 to 1990, the Condensing part plant has been put gradually out of operation and thereafter the four stream generators, two turbines and eight drying units have been dismantled.

In 1998, the operation of the other drying units has been abandoned and the plant changed to a new fueling scheme: fuel consisting of raw coal and enriched energy fuel.

The Heat Supply Part of the power plant consists of four industrial steam pipes satisfying the operation needs of the Briquette Plant and service needs.

“Electricity production” branch is in the possession of the following equipment:

- six drum steam generators type BKZ-210-140-FB, made by Bernaul Boiler Plant with parameters of reheated steam t = 535°C and p=137 bar. The same work in a collector scheme and can supply, each separately and all together through a main steam collector, the installed turbogenerators.
- four steam turbines VPT-50-4 made by Ecaterininburg Turbine Plant.

The heat supply part of the power plant consists of two industrial heating steam pipes satisfying the needs of the Briquette plant which produces briquettes and for heating of Galabovo town. The rated capacity of the industrial steam extraction is 118 tons/hour.

The installed steam generators in the power plant are BKZ-210-140-FB drum type with free circulation, П-shape partner and two-sided (by air) flue gas discharge.

The combustors are designed for burning of low heat content lignite coal with planned calorific value of 2200 kcal/kg.

The four turbines, type VPT-5-4 are active with rated capacity of 50 MW at 3000 rpm with one industrial and two district heating steam extractions.

The generators, type TV 60-2 have rated power of 60 MW and rated voltage of 6 kV and they were made in “Electrosila”-Sankt Peterburg plant. The power transformers are with two windings, type TDG-60 000/110 - 2 pieces, and type TDG-75 000/110 - 2 pieces. They are located in an Outdoor Distribution Area - ORU 110 kV. From ORU - 110 kV, production electrical power is exported for substation “Maritsa-East”, Galabovo town, and for “Troyanovo-3” pit.

Turbogenerators 1 and 2 are the two power sources for the Main Distribution Area - GRU 6 kV. From the distribution Area GRU are supplied other large local consumers of electrical power, such as the Base for Repair of Electrical Equipment - Galabovo town and the pump station of TPP “Maritsa-East 3”. The control and monitoring of the electric units is realized by the Main Control Room in the GRU building - 6 kV (Main Distribution Area), on the territory of the ORU (Outdoor Distribution Area).

Ash and slag are removed by a hydraulic system. The ash and slag transport from the dredger pump station to the dump site is realized by dredger pumps PH - 300 and "HEBERMAN" 350/630 pumps. The ash and slag dump site is separated into five independent sections. Nowadays, ash and slag are poured into two of sections, the other three are tack coated. The ash and slag removal system is closed. Water at the dump site is collected and clarified in precipitation accepting pits by a collector and two pump stations, and is given back to the power plant for reuse.

A pump station dumps ash and slag from the Briquette plant in the same above mentioned site.

The technological needs for water of the power plant are satisfied by “Rozov kladenetz” dam.

For the purpose, a circulation pumping station is built with five vertical propeller circulation pumps OP 2-110-50 type.

In the chemical plant of “Brikel” EAD, there is implemented manufacturing of chemically desalinated water and control of waters, precipitations, solutions, gases and oils from all stages of the technological scheme. The water-preparing installation is three-stage preliminary coagulation, de-carbonation and filtration. The productivity of the installation is 165 tons/hour desalinated water. An important link in the technological process of “Brikel” is the laboratory for analysis of waters and oils. The laboratory implements analyses of waters on the following parameters: hardness, alcality, acidity, silicates, carbon dioxide, specific electrical conductivity, phosphates, petrol products, soluble substances, etc. During the analysis of oils, the laboratory measures: the temperature of inflammation, the content of water-soluble acids, the mechanical impurities, the acid number. The measurements are compliant with the requirements of the standards and other normative-technical documents.

The water supplied from Sazliika river is subjected to exhaustive desalination in the chemical plant. It passes the following stages: lime de-carbonation and coagulation; mechanical filtration; first and second degree of cationization and anionization; processing through filters with mixed action. The water-preparing installation works on a collector scheme. “Brikel” EAD is supplied with energy coal from the “Maritsa East” coal area, as well as from both “Troyanovo-1” pit and “Troyanovo-3” pit.

At the plant entry, there are installed two electronic railroad scales for 100% measuring of all loaded and empty train compositions.

The coal handling facility consists of a sheltered rail carriage unloading yard, bucket chain feeders-scrapers, a system of double rubber transport belts and crushers for raw and fine coal crushing.

The coal storage facility consists of two figures of capacity up to 100 thousand tons. The two figures are built and consumed by a system of rubber transport belts and bulldozers.

Due to the specific characteristics of high ballast content, low heat capacity and high sulfur content of “Maritsa East” lignite coal, the Power plant utilizes a scheme for preliminary mixing of the coal with briquettable lignite coal.

The coal moisture content is reduced by 14-15% in drum dryers, then the coal is crushed to size below 25 mm and only thereafter the dried fuel is transported by chain feeders-scrapers to the hammer mills of the steam generators.

The technological wastes from the “Briquette plant” are added to the dried energy coal in a ratio no larger than 1:4.

The preliminary drying process, besides the low efficiency, has a number of drawbacks in both micro- and macro- aspects: significant expenses, air dust content above the required norms, fire and explosions hazards, etc.

Due to the mentioned drawbacks, a new Power Plant fueling scheme has been designed, namely:

Enriched energy fuel (OEG), i.e. dried briquettable lignite coal of 3800 kcal/kg heat capacity and raw coal in ratio of 34-40% OEG and 66-60% raw coal are the plant fuel base.

The feasibility of the above fueling scheme has been proven by industrial experiments.

The new fueling scheme has a number of advantages - ecological, fire preventive, and economical.