US company Westinghouse Electric said that it has reached an agreement with Bulgarian nuclear power plant Kozloduy to analyze the potential for the construction of one or more AP-1000 nuclear reactors at the plant.
The statement from the company said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with NPP Kozloduy Newbuild, a special purpose company establish to manage the possible construction of one or two units at the plant using existing infrastructure and advanced licensing and environmental status.
In January, Bulgaria approved the use of technology by Westinghouse for building additional nuclear reactors at NPP Kozloduy, with the Parliament tasking the caretaker Government to start facilitating a construction project for a new unit 7 at the site by 1 March.
Westinghouse and the special purpose company will now set up a joint working group which will be in charge of initial project planning. The group will also assess regulatory, licensing and design bases in Bulgaria to ensure full compliance with applicable regulations and will look into streamlining the potential project execution path to enable Bulgaria to achieve its nuclear energy goals.
Bulgaria will be the first country in Europe where the AP-1000 technology will be deployed, with four such reactors currently in operation in China and the first two units due to be commissioned in the US this year.
Advancing a bid to eliminate its former near-total dependence on Russian energy supplies, Bulgaria last year agreed with Westinghouse to receive fresh nuclear fuel for its unit 5, while fuel for unit 6 to be supplied by French Framatome.
Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy operates two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors of 1,000 MW each. Their operational licenses will expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.
