Bulgarians vote for new nuclear power

Those (few)Bulgarians who made it to the polls in Sunday’s referendum on nuclear power have voted in favour of further development.

The vote was a political exercise which is unlikely to lead to the building of new atomic plants any time soon. But it was an unusual show of support for the much-criticised industry. How many other European Union countries would have voted in favour?


Initial reports suggested that 60 per cent voted in favour of a new nuclear power plant (NPP), but that turnout was just over 20 per cent, meaning that the vote will be non-binding.

The referendum was forced by the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) after the right-wing government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov scrapped the construction of the 2000MWBelene NPP on the Danube last year.

Belene, which has been planned since the 1970s, was already partly constructed, but Borisov pulled the plug citing high costs. Estimates suggested that the plant would require €10bn investment – around a quarter of Bulgaria’s GDP. Furthermore, the project was being developed by Russian state-owned company Rosatom, leading to concerns about Moscow’s influence in the energy sector in Bulgaria, already heavily dependent on Russian gas.

Construction had started under the previous BSP-led government, and the Socialists, struggling to gain traction in the polls, have rallied round the project. Borisov and his GERB party had urged a “no” vote, and the prime minister said that the meagre turnout had confirmed that Belene was a non-starter.

Read More...

EDF, Rosatom sign up for Bulgarian nuclear plant work

* Bulgaria seeks to extend Soviet-made reactors' lifespan

* EDF, Rosatom consortium the only bidder for the work
* Bulgaria plans to build new reactor at Kozloduy site

SOFIA, April 20 (Reuters) - A consortium, led by France's EDF and Russia's Rosenergoatom, has signed a contract to draw up plans to extend the lifespan of Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant, the government said on Friday.

The 2,000 megawatt nuclear plant produces over 35 percent of Bulgaria's electricity. Sofia is looking into ways to ensure it will not be forced to import power after 2019, when the reactors' permits expire.
The expansion of the lifespan of the two 1,000 megawatt, Soviet-made nuclear reactors by up to 20 years at Kozloduy, on the Danube river on the border with Romania, has become a priority of the government.
Earlier this month, Bulgaria decided to start the process leading to construction of a 1,000 megawatt reactor at Kozloduy after quitting the Belene nuclear project.




Bulgaria abandoned plans to build a 2,000 MW station at Belene - a site that is prone to earthquakes, after failing to attract serious foreign investors.

"The first stage of the preparation for the lifespan expansion of the units by up to 20 years has started," the government said in a statement, after Kozloduy's chief executive Alexander Nikolov met with Prime Minister Boiko Borisov.

The consortium was the only bidder for the work.

The plant declined to elaborate on the deal, saying details will be disclosed on Saturday.
The Balkan country has closed four older reactors at its sole nuclear plant Kozloduy under its treaty with the European Union and over safety concerns raised by Brussels.

The government also plans to expand the capacity of the two reactors at Kozloduy by 100 megawatts to ensure Bulgaria continued to export electricity.

LINK

Bulgaria plans third nuclear reactor

Bulgaria's government has announced plans to install a third reactor at the country's only nuclear power plant in Kozloduy.

The decision came two weeks after the government gave up a decades-old project to build a second nuclear power plant near the city of Belene.

Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov said Wednesday the new unit will be designed and built on "a commercial basis, without government guarantees and without spending the money of the taxpayers."

He did not confirm previous plans that one of the two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors already assembled by Russia's Atomstroyexport and originally meant for Belene could be placed in Kozloduy, boosting its capacity to 3,000 megawatts.

The center-right government has repeatedly pledged to reduce Bulgaria's almost total dependence on Russian energy supplies.

LINK

Bulgaria to build new nuclear unit at Kozloduy

SOFIA, April 11 | Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:09am EDT

(Reuters) - Bulgaria's government decided to Wednesday to start the process leading to construction of a 1,000 megawatt reactor at its Kozloduy nuclear plant on the Danube river after quitting the Belene nuclear project.

The Balkan country will check whether it can install the reactor, already ordered from Russia's Atomstroyexport, at the existing 2,000 MW Kozloduy plant in northwestern Bulgaria, after it abandoned plans to build a 2,000 MW station at Belene, a site that is prone to earthquakes.

"The new unit will be designed and built on a commercial basis, without government guarantees and without spending the money of the taxpayers," Finance Minister Simeon Djankov told reporters.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Boiko Borisov launched the lengthy process to get approvals for the site and build the reactor, which could become operational in 2021-2022.

Bulgaria plans to set up a project company and seek a strategic investor for the new power generator, Economy and Energy Minister Delyan Dobrev has said.

Russia's Atomstroyexport has already build a 1,000 MW reactor aimed for the Belene station, but nuclear experts say it will be extremely difficult to install it at a new site.

If the option proves too costly or technically impossible, Bulgaria may seek to sell the Russian reactor, energy ministry officials have said.

The construction of the new nuclear unit will be realized after obtaining licenses and approvals in accordance with Bulgarian legislation and European Union law.

The Balkan country is also planning to extend the lifespans of its two operating nuclear units at Kozloduy, which expire in 2017 and 2019.

LINK

Bulgaria's Belene Town Wants Its Nuclear Plant Back

The town of Belene on the Danube River has vehemently opposed the government's decision to abandon plans to build a nuclear power plant near it.

The town's municipal council adopted on Wednesday a declaration, which slams the decision to quit plans to build the 2,000 megawatt Belene nuclear power plant on the Danube River.

Mayor Petar Dulev noted that the document was adopted unanimously by all 16 councilors, representatives of various political forces in the region.

The declaration will be read out at a rally, to take place in the central square of the town Wednesday evening.

The event comes exactly a week after Bulgaria's government announced it has abandoned plans to build a new, 2000 megawatt nuclear power plant on the Danube River for which it has contracted Russian state firm Atomstroyexport.

The government has proposed that a gas-powered plant is built on the site in Belene.

Environmentalists had opposed the plant, which had first been proposed when Bulgaria was under communist rule.

The project however remains extremely popular among people from the small and poor town of Belene, who have pinned on it hopes for more jobs and higher living standards.

Originally two reactors were to have been built for the site by Russian company Atomstroyexport, and one of them has already been constructed.

The Bulgarian government has proposed that it is installed at the country's sole nuclear power plant of Kozloduy.