Hundreds Rally in Support of Scrapped Bulgarian Belene NPP

Around 500 people gathered Saturday in protest against the recent giving up of the Belene NPP project by the Bulgarian government.

The rally assembled on the international road linking Sofia and Ruse, near the village of Balgarene, Pleven region.

The protesters were carrying signs saying "I want to live and work in Bulgaria," "We support Belene NPP," and "We want a referendum on Belene."

End of march the Bulgarian cabinet led by PM Boyko Borisov announced it is giving up plans building Belene NPP with Russian company Atomstroyexport, after years of talks that led nowhere,

Saturday the protest did not involve blocking the Sofia-Ruse road, but ralliers stopped some cars, the drivers of which were willing to listen to their messages.

According to the Bulgarian National Radio, ralliers are chiefly young people from the region, including the city of Pleven, and the towns of Belene, Svishtov and Nikopol.

In particular, protesters called on the government to revise their decision on Belene NPP, saying a new NPP will be instrumental in boosting Bulgaria's economy.