Petar Petrov, Veneta Stefanova, Zhivko Vasilev, Stanimira Ivanova, Iva Stamenova-Yordanova, Elena Georgieva
University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria, petargpetrof@gmail.com, venistefanova3@gmail.com, zhivko.vasilev@mail.bg, ivanova.stanimiraa@gmail.com, ivastamenovaa@gmail.com, eli1307@abv.bg
Corresponding author: zhivko.vasilev@mail.bg
ABSTRACT. This study assesses the rehabilitation and reconversion potential of coal mining sites in the Pernik region, Bulgaria, within the context of the energy transition and post-mining land-use planning. An integrated multi-criteria framework was applied, combining site inventory, regulatory review, spatial interpretation and expert-based assessment. The framework evaluates post-mining land according to geotechnical stability, contamination-related suitability, infrastructure accessibility, ecological suitability and land-use constraints. The analysis identifies a heterogeneous post-mining landscape, including ash disposal sites, spoil heaps, residual mining areas, underground mining zones and former industrial platforms. The results show that stabilised technogenic landforms are most suitable for controlled renewable energy applications, particularly photovoltaic development combined with containment and monitoring. Former industrial platforms demonstrate potential for industrial and energy-related reuse, while underground mining zones affected by subsidence and hidden voids require restricted use and long-term control. Lower-risk or partially restored sites are suitable for ecological restoration and nature-based solutions. Notably, two site groups with identical aggregate suitability scores lead to fundamentally different reconversion pathways depending on their underlying criterion profile, indicating that the framework should be applied as a profile-based screening tool rather than as a one-dimensional ranking. The proposed suitability-based framework supports decision-oriented planning by linking site-specific constraints with feasible reconversion pathways and contributes to the sustainable transformation of coal regions under transition.
Key words: rehabilitation, mine closure, coal, Pernik.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58903/MPIG2662
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