BULGARIA INVITES ROSATOM EXPERTS TO SET UP A WORKING GROUP ON BELENE NUCLEAR PROJECT

Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova has sent a letter to the Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, Sergey Kiriyenko, to select the members of a working group on the Belene Nuclear Plant project.

The Bulgarian members of the working group will include executive directors and experts from Bulgarian Energy Holding EAD and the National Electricity Company. Minister Petkova invited Russian experts to visit Bulgaria between 15th and 30th of August this year to continue talks on nuclear cooperation.

Bulgaria and Russia will set up a joint working group which will review possible scenarios for the Belene NPP project following the decision of the arbitration court in Geneva. The experts will discuss in detail the options which are of mutual interest to both sides and will propose a solution within the shortest possible time period.

On 29th of July, Minister Petkova met with Rosatom's Deputy Director General Kirill Komarov. After the talks, the Russian side said it would insist on strict implementation of the decision of the arbitration court on the Belene case.

Komarov said that Rosatom was ready for discussions with the Bulgarian partners but only in the context of the need to pay the debt as soon as possible.