Russia Grows Tired of Bulgaria's Belene NPP Uncertainty

Russia's state-owned energy company Rosatom has urged Bulgaria to quickly make up its mind about the Belene nuclear power plant project.

"Bulgaria's government is yet to inform us about its political decision," Rosatom head Sergey Kiriyenko has told RIA Novosti.

Kiriyenko has pointed out that Bulgarian officials come up with statements once every month, often contradicting themselves.

"If the decision is to construct it – we will. If the Bulgarian government decides it does not need a nuclear power plant, it won't be a big problem for us," the Rosatom head has stated.

Rosatom's subsidiary Atomstroyexport has already assembled the reactor for the first block of the NPP to be built in the Bulgarian Danube town of Belene.

In October 2011, Bulgaria and Russia reached an agreement to extend the negotiations over Belene nuclear project by another six months as of the beginning of October amidst continuing haggling over its price and feasibility.

On Friday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov declared that the future second Bulgarian nuclear power plant at Belene will not be solely a project of Bulgaria and Russia if it takes place at all. He stressed that his Cabinet will keep working in the upcoming weeks in order to "diversify" the future participants in the Belene NPP project.

Borisov has also hinted that the Belene reactor could be placed in Bulgaria's sole existing Kozloduy NPP.

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