The Council of Ministers has decided on the full utilisation of the approved site's capacity at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, through the rational use of equipment from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant.„
On January 20, 2021, at its meeting, the government considered a report of a Working Group specially established by the Minister of Energy. The report presents in a synthesized form the analyses and assessments of the feasibility studies carried out by "Kozloduy NPP - New Build" in recent years.
Analyses and recommendations have been prepared, considering two possible options for continuing the project for new nuclear capacity at Kozloduy NPP - construction of a new nuclear capacity - a nuclear power plant with a nuclear unit, including the rational use of the equipment supplied to Belene NPP, as well as continuing the actions to study the possibilities for building a new nuclear capacity by using new nuclear technologies for small modular reactors. These project developments have been considered, and the task assigned by the Decision of the Council of Ministers of October 14, 2020 has been optimally fulfilled.
The working group has analyzed and supplemented the prepared technical and economic analysis, which presents information and conclusions in two main areas: determination of engineering, technical and environmental parameters and determination of economic, legal and social dimensions.
We recall that on August 26, 2013, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) issued a Permit for determining the location of a nuclear facility (site selection). A detailed study was carried out and, after evaluating the proposed sites, Site No. 2 was determined to be the most promising.
In connection with the requirements of the NRA, in 2014 a Independent verification of the results obtained from the conducted studies to investigate and determine the location of the new nuclear power plant. This verification was carried out by a team of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
A Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) of the nuclear facility has been prepared - the main part of the documents accompanying the request for issuing an Order for Approval of the selected site.
On February 21, 2020, an Order was issued to determine the location of the nuclear facility (site selection) by the Chairman of the NRA., with which the regulator confirms that the possibilities for the deployment, construction and subsequent operation of new nuclear capacity at Site 2 of Kozloduy NPP are justified.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out in full compliance with the requirements of the legal and regulatory framework. In January 2015, the Ministry of Environment and Water issued an administrative act - a permit for the implementation of the investment intention, with this act legally approving the conducted environmental impact assessment and the specific impact on the protected areas.
The existing site at the Kozloduy NPP site provides clear advantages compared to other possible sites in Bulgaria. The Kozloduy site is home to the country’s nuclear power plants and has been in operation for several decades. It has an infrastructure in place that could be used to expand the plant to accommodate future nuclear power units. Various parts of the existing infrastructure at the Kozloduy NPP site, such as roads, water sources, buildings, the Open Switchgear (OSB) and power lines, provide access and advantages in terms of construction costs compared to alternative sites.
The feasibility studies conducted prove that the construction of a new nuclear power plant with one or two generation III (III+) nuclear units using pressurized light water reactor technology and design developments of small modular reactors at the Kozloduy NPP site is a fully engineering and technologically achievable, economically viable and expedient option.
