Bulgaria’s Government Proposes Restart of Belene Nuclear Power Plant Project

Bulgaria’s government proposes to restart the project for a second nuclear power plant in Belene, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova announced on 16^th of May.

After an analysis of all possible options, the cabinet decided to seek a strategic investor to build the plant together with the Bulgarian state. The estimated cost is 20 billion BGN (10 billion Euro).

We have Bulgarian reactors that are Bulgarian property and we have to find the best solution that will not only allow us to compensate for the costs incurred but also to look for future benefits, Tomislav Donchev said.

The energy minister explained that the proposal, which will be submitted to the Parliament, is related to the possibility of resuming the activities and implementation of the project on a market principle by choosing a strategic investor without granting a state guarantee and without concluding long-term contracts for the purchase of electricity energy, the legal way will be by separating the assets and liabilities of NEC into a separate company, she added.