Bulgaria's New Nuclear Unit to Be Ready in 2022 - NPP CEO

Kozloduy NPP CEO Valentin Nikolov (left) with Bulgarian Economy MInister Dobrev. Photo by BGNES

The construction of the future Unit 7 of the only Bulgarian nuclear power plant in the Danube town of Kozloduy should be completed in 2022, according to NPP CEO Valentin Nikolov.

Nikolov told reporters in Sofia Friday that 2022 was "an optimistic forecast" for the construction of the new 1000 MW nuclear unit.

"Everything depends on the talks with the Russian side about the specific nuclear reactor," Nikolov said, referring to the fact that Bulgaria's Borisov Cabinet decided to build a 7th unit at the Kozloduy NPP after in March 2012 it gave up on the construction of a second Bulgarian nuclear power plant in Belene.

Subsequently, the Borisov government decided to install the 1000 MW reactor already produced for Belene by Russian contractor Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Rosatom, at the existing plant in Kozloduy.

Nikolov also announced that five companies have applied to conduct the preliminary study for the construction of a seventh reactor at Kozloduy, and that one of them will be picked by the Bulgarian government by the end of next week.

Bulgaria's nuclear authorities and the NPP management have notified the Environment Ministry as well as the governments of neighboring Romania and Serbia about their intention to build a seventh unit of the plant in Kozloduy, he said.

"We are working to reduce the time as much as possible so that the government can take a final decision, and we can get a license for the construction site, while also seeking either the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, or an outside contractor for consultations," Nikolov explained.

At present, only the 1000 MW units 5 and 6 are operational at the Kozloduy NPP, after Bulgaria agreed to shut down the 440 MW units 1-4 in 2002 and 2006 as part of its EU accession talks under pressure from Brussels.

The Bulgarian government has also initiated a program to extend the life of Units 5 and 6 by at least 20 years as their life is set to expire in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!