Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Nuclear Country Notes

Bulgaria

Six WWER units have been constructed at Kozloduy, in the north-west of the country, close to the border with Romania. Four units (each of 408 MWe net capacity) were brought into operation between 1974 and 1982, and two others (each of 953 MWe capacity) were commissioned in 1987 and 1989, respectively. The combined output of the Kozloduy reactors provided 44% of Bulgaria's electricity generation in 2005.

Kozloduy-1 and -2 were shut down in December 2002, followed by Kozloduy-3 and -4 at the end of 2006, in accordance with the terms of Bulgaria's accession to the European Union.

In April 2005 the Government approved the construction of a second NPP, comprising two 1 000 MWe gross (953 MWe net) PWRs, to be sited at Belene which is, like Kozloduy, on the banks of the Danube, Bulgaria's border with Romania. Work on this site had begun in 1987 but has been on hold since 1991. Belene-1 is scheduled for completion by 2011, Belene-2 by 2013. In October 2006 the Bulgarian electric utility NEK awarded a contract to Atomstroyexport of Russia (heading a consortium including AREVA NP, Siemens and a number of Russian and Bulgarian companies) for two third-generation WWER reactors at Belene.

The Bulgarian WEC Member Committee foresees a total nuclear capacity of
4 000 MWe (3 812 MWe net) at end-2020, with four units in operation.

In March 2007, five Balkan states (Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia (Republic), Albania and Croatia) called on the European Union to allow Bulgaria to restart Kozloduy-3 and -4, in order to alleviate electricity supply shortages in the region.