Bulgaria became the newest member of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) on 1 January 2021. OECD Secretary‑General Angel Gurria said that Bulgaria’s membership will enrich the NEA’s work in areas such as nuclear safety and regulation, decommissioning and radioactive waste management, adding that the accession of Bulgaria to the Agency also underlines the developing co-operation between Bulgaria and the OECD.
Bulgaria currently has one nuclear power plant at Kozloduy with two VVER units that generate about one-third of the country’s electricity. The country has ongoing plans to build a new unit at the Kozloduy site and two more units at the Belene site. Expanded use of nuclear power is a strategic priority for Bulgaria, supporting the country’s efforts to enhance energy security while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With several decades of VVER experience, Bulgaria will reinforce the NEA’s capacity to address matters related to pressurized water reactor technologies and their operational characteristics. At the same time, the NEA will support Bulgaria’s efforts in many technical and policy areas, including work to address nuclear skills capacity building needs in the country, the development and application of nuclear data and simulation codes, and many issues related to radioactive waste management, decommissioning and nuclear economics.
