Bulgaria has a great potential in biofuel production development, Bulgaria’s minister of environment and waters Djevdet Chakarov said at the opening of the Bulgarian-German “Climate Changes and Energy Efficiency” forum organized within the one-day visit of Germany’s environment minister Sigmar Gabriel to Bulgaria.

Rape plantations will expand significantly, Chakarov added and pointed out the solid activity in the construction of biofuel installations. He also expressed his ministry’s readiness to contribute to the fight against global warming and other harmful effects of climate change.

One of the ways to do this was to support investments in the use of renewable energy sources and to increase their share in total electricity generation to 20%, the minister said.

Currently this share is 5-6% and in 2010-2011 it is expected to reach 10-12%, Chakarov pointed out. Under EU’s energy strategy the share of renewable energy should reach 20% by 2020.

Djevdet Chakarov reminded that with the ratification of UN’s climate change convention and the Kyoto Protocol Bulgaria has engaged to reduce the percentage of harmful emissions by 8% from the levels in 1988.