15 Nov (NucNet): Bulgaria’s state-owned National Electric Company has signed a contract with Russia’s nuclear equipment supplier Atomstroyexport for the storage and maintenance of the main reactor components for the two-unit Belene nuclear power station project, Peter Iliev, the company’s chief executive officer, told Bulgarian National Radio.
Mr Iliev said the contract was signed for five years, but with an option to extend depending on whether Bulgaria finds an investor and starts construction of the proposed station.
If construction does begin, the contract will be transferred to the new owner of the project, he said.
According to Mr Iliev, all the main equipment manufactured in Russia for Belene is now being stored on Bulgarian soil at the Belene site on the Danube river in northern Bulgaria.
Under the contract, the maintenance and conservation on the equipment will be carried out by Bulgaria, but under the supervision of manufacturer Atomstroyexport, Mr Iliev said.
Mr Iliev said that because of this arrangement, the price of the contract would be “tens of times lower” than the roughly €500,000 suggested by Bulgarian media.
Mr Iliev said if Bulgaria goes ahead with the Belene project Atomstroyexport will be the main contractor.
In 2008, Bulgaria ordered the design, construction and commissioning of two Russian VVER-1000 pressurised water reactor units for Belene. The project was cancelled in 2012 because of financial and political considerations. It was revived again in June 2018 after a series of arbitration procedures which took about four years to conclude.
