Bulgaria’s National Assembly has ratified the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy, signed in February between Bulgaria and the US.
In January, the Bulgarian government approved a draft agreement with the US on cooperation in the construction of two nuclear reactors using Westinghouse AP1000 technology at the Kozloduy.
After it was signed, the Parliamentary Energy Commission said South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction, will be invited to submit a binding offer with a price for the design, construction, supply, installation and commissioning of the two new units. Of the five candidates interested in building the new nuclear facilities, two Chinese and two American companies did not meet the requirements- Bulgaria plans to launch unit 7 by 2034 and unit 8 in two to three years later. The estimated cost of construction is some $14bn, but some experts have said it could increase to $30bn.
Currently, Kozloduy NPP operates two Soviet-built VVER-1000 reactors. Bulgaria was obliged to close four older VVER-440 units as a condition for accession to the European Union, even though the units had undergone significant safety upgrades.
