Bulgaria’s energy ministry announced that the sole nuclear power plant in the country, Kozloduy, has signed contracts with Sweden’s Westinghouse and France’s Framatome to deliver fuel for its two operational reactors.
This way, the Bulgarian NPP has secured independence from Russia, which had previously been the only supplier, the media reported.
The two contracts were signed after the parliament determined that Bulgaria needed to move quickly to find a replacement supplier for the power plant, which currently receives fuel from the Russian corporation TVEL.
Kozloduy NPP and Westinghouse agreed to a ten-year contract to supply new nuclear fuel for its 1,000-megawatt unit 5. The deal was negotiated at “substantially improved” conditions compared to the initial offer.
Additionally, in 2023, Westinghouse will put in place an internal reactor control system that, for safety reasons, will operate concurrently with the current one.
The Kozloduy nuclear power plant and Framatome have a contract for the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for unit 6, a 1,000-megawatt generator.
On December 22, the Bulgarian parliament made a decision requiring enterprises that process Russian oil to pay an additional tax, the proceeds of which would be used to compensate users financially. Bulgarian oil refiner Lukoil Neftochim Burgas is controlled by Russia.
Read also: Bulgaria buys Russian gas, circumventing sanctions: a scheme disclosed
