Heads Roll as Bulgaria Govt Cries Foul over 'N-Plant Sabotage'

A copy of the letter by the national electricity transmission company NEK to the mayor of the Danube town of Svishtov Stanislav Blagoev, which dealt with the construction of high voltage lines, part of Belene nuclear power plant infrastructure.

A flood of dismissals is about to hit Bulgaria's national electricity transmission company after a discrediting letter surfaced, allegedly reviving the nuclear power plant project at Belene.

Marin Angelov, head of Trafelectroinvest company with NEK, was the first to get kicked out on Thursday.

His dismissal came shortly after the right-wing opposition alleged the government has not halted the construction of Belene nuclear station and the project is in full steam.

They based their allegations on a letter, which they obtained, by the national electricity transmission company NEK to the mayor of the Danube town of Svishtov Stanislav Blagoev regarding the construction of high voltage lines needed "to ensure the connection of future facilities that will be built on the site of NPP Belene."

The document is dated October 8, 2012.

"The lines are part of Belene infrastructure and will connect the plant with the energy system of the country," Martin Dimitrov, co-chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Blue Coalition, said.

"Marin Angelov was dismissed because he sent this letter. Anyone who has anything to do with this will have to face the music," Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev warned on Thursday.

"This letter is a clear sabotage against the government. I find it hard to believe there are still people who are not aware this project is a thing of the past," he added.

The minister went as far as to thank the right-wing opposition for alerting the government about this letter.

Bulgarians will probably vote on the future of its Belene nuclear station before the end of the year, but the right-wingers says the referendum will just be a tool to legitimize the nuclear plant construction.

The referendum was initiated by the Socialists and backed the ruling party.

Bulgaria decided to abandon plans to build its second nuclear power plant in March this year after failing to agree on its cost with Russian company Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Rosatom, and find Western investors.

Bulgaria's government is currently tangled up in a EUR 1 B dispute with Russia over the termination of the Belene project.

Last month recently registered US consortium Global Power Consortium expressed interest in taking over the project to install two 1,000 megawatt nuclear reactors at the Danube River town of Belene and build it without state funds or guarantees.

The companies behind the consortium however are yet unknown.

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