Energo: Bulgaria to start building two new reactors at Kozloduy NPP

Bulgaria’s government decided on October 25 to start work on the construction of two new reactors at Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) that will have a combined capacity of 2,300 MW, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said.

Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, Bulgaria has been making significant efforts to become independent from Russia for its energy. At the end of April last year, the country stopped using Russian gas, but it still imports fresh nuclear fuel from Russia and wants to find an alternative. Sofia is also trying to put an end to oil imports from Russia despite having a derogation from the EU-wide ban until the end of 2024.

Currently, Kozloduy NPP has only two Soviet-era working units – five and six. The energy ministry will now start the procedure to pick a contractor for the design, construction and commissioning of unit seven and will also start the procedure to build unit eight.

Construction of the seventh unit should be completed by 2033, and the project will be funded with BGN500mn (€250mn) in addition to previously allocated funding, Denkov said.

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