Bulgaria will use the new technology from the US nuclear company Westinghouse, which hopes to enter the EU market with the Bulgarian project.
There are currently only two operating nuclear power plants in the world using Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology – one in China and the other in the US, while Ukraine has also expressed interest.
“The state company in charge of the project will receive €250 million. The company will start negotiations with the companies that will build the 7th unit of the power plant. The deadline for completion of the project is 2033,” Denkov said.
Sources told Euractiv Bulgaria that this deadline for the 1150-megawatt plant may be a little optimistic, and that it is likely to be completed by 2035. While the government’s contribution has been made public, there is no current information on the total value of the completed unit.
The next step in the process is for Energy Minister Rumen Radev to take the necessary steps for the transparent selection of a contractor for the design, construction and commissioning of the new unit.
Currently, the Kozloduy NPP, located on the Danube River, relies on two Soviet-built nuclear reactors, which will in future use American and French nuclear fuel.
At the same time, the Bulgarian government will start preparations for the construction of the 8th reactor of the Kozloduy NPP using the same AP1000 technology. According to the plan, the construction of the two new units will run in parallel, with the second unit being completed within two to three years of the first.
Denkov described the government’s decision as one of the most important to be taken by the Cabinet during its term of office.
“The total capacity of the future 7th and 8th units will be 2300 MW, which significantly exceeds the 1760 MW capacity of the closed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th units of the Kozloduy NPP,” Denkov said.
He said that the technology chosen by Bulgaria for these reactors was unique: “It allows to change the output of the reactors in a very short time, which is extremely important for the stable management of the energy system.”
The ability to quickly reduce and increase the output of nuclear power units is essential so that they can be used as base capacity to complement renewable energy sources under the conditions of the Green Deal, Euractiv Bulgaria has learned.
“The construction of new facilities at the Kozloduy NPP site is appropriate given the excellent existing infrastructure for radioactive waste management, physical protection, radioecological monitoring and emergency response. The site also has free capacity for connecting new power and trained, highly qualified personnel,” the Bulgarian government’s press service said.
In July, following a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Denkov announced that Greece had confirmed its interest in investing in the construction of new reactors at the Kozloduy NPP, with the alternative option of concluding a 20-year contract for the purchase of the electricity produced.
At the same time, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev criticised the government for its decision on the new nuclear facilities. “It seems that the NPP will be built like Bulgaria’s motorways – in the dark,” he commented.
