Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

The planned construction of a new unit at the Bulgarian nuclear power plant (NPP) Kozloduy is opposed to by Romanian citizens, who live on the opposite bank of the Danube river.

Units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant can work for at least 20 years more than planned, according to preliminary estimates related to the life extension program for the two facilities.

The initial results of the probes were presented Wednesday by Lachezar Kostov, head of the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

The life extension of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant proceeds according to plan, according to Lachezar Kostov, Chair of the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (BNRA).

Kostov, as cited by investor.bg, informed that the BNRA had received all necessary documents for the procedure by November 2014 and had approved the life extension of the two N-plant units.

By end-March, a working group including representatives of the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH), the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, and the Energy Ministry, is to come up with a stance on the project for a 7th unit of the N-plant.

Jacquelin Cohen, Executive Director of BEH, announced Thursday that the working group had to present its conclusion on the funding of the project too.

At 20:28 on January 3, following the activation of electrical protection system, the generator of unit 6 of Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant was disconnected from the power grid.

All systems of unit 6 of the Kozloduy NPP functioned in lined with the design algorithms, according to the press office of the N-plant.

US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has presented a project for the expansion of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant to the Bulgarian representatives at the European Parliament and to EU policy specialists.

The main topics of the meeting were the advantages of the Westinghouse AP1000 technology and the plans for the construction of unit 7 of the Kozloduy NPP.

In 2015, Bulgaria will receive EUR 25 M in decommissioning aid for the Kozloduy nuclear power plant.

The funding is provided by the Assembly of Donors of the Kozloduy International Fund (KIDSF) to the State Enterprise Radioactive Waste SE (SERAW), which is in charge of the the Kozloduy NPP Units 1-4 Decommissioning Program.

The deadline of the permit for the construction and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Belene nuclear power plant have expired, according to reports of Bulgaria's Regional Development Ministry.

The permit expires in five years after the date of issue if the site has not been completed.

Michael Kirst, Westinghouse deputy president for strategy, is in Bulgaria in relation to the company's intention to build Unit 7 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, officials say.

Kirst will not meet representatives of the new government as the aim of his visit is to explore environmental requirements and licensing regimes.

Securing Bulgaria's energy independence is part of the programme of Bulgaria's new coalition government expected to voted into office on Friday.