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.

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