Extraction of brown coal from the richest deposit at the Maritza East Mines began on Friday, the company's Executive Director Ivan Markov said. The border area between the Troyanovo North and Troyanovo 1 pits was cut open.

The coal deposit in this area amounts to 175,000 tonnes. Samples have shown that the coal here is the most shallow and of the best quality. The ash content is only 28 per cent, whereas in other parts of the Maritza East Energy Complex the ash content is up to 45 per cent.

The Maritza East Mines has invested over 250 million euro in this large project, BTA reported.

After the new capacity is built at the Maritza East Complex, the output will reach 33 million to 35 million tonnes.

The Maritza East Mines received an ISO 14 001 certificate on Friday for its effective environmental management system.

The Maritza East Mines director told a news conference that he expects the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation to increase the price of coal by 14.9 per cent as of April 1 or July 1.

A consultant will be selected within two or three months to provide bidding consultation for the selection of an investor to build new capacity at the Maritza East Mines on the basis of criteria chosen by the Commission last year.