Bulgaria to Increase Capacity of Its Kozloduy NPP by 60 MW

Traicho Traikov, Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism. Photo by BGNES

The capacity of Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant, Kozloduy, will be increased by 60 MW as its generators will be replaced, it was announced on Tuesday.

The reconstruction works will take two years and will cost EUR 30 M.

"We are getting near to the fulfillment of that idea," Bulgaria's Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov told the Bulgarian National Radio.  He confirmed that the discussions have been launched on the increase of Kozloduy's capacity already several months ago.

Later on Tuesday, the Minister will visit the nuclear power plant's two working units (Unit 5 and Unit 6), which are expected to set a new record in their yearly production of electricity in their history.

At the end of August 2011, Unit 6 turned 20, and its exploitation deadline is set to expire in 2019, while that of Unit 5 expires two years earlier.

The 440-MW Soviet-era reactors 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Kozloduy NPP were shut down in 2002 and 2006 on EU insistence leaving the Kozloduy plant only with two 1000-MW reactors in operation.

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