Plant Operation

Bulgaria Extends Kozloduy-5 Operating Licence By 10 Years

By David Dalton
7 November 2017

Bulgaria Extends Kozloduy-5 Operating Licence By 10 Years
The Kozloduy nuclear power station in Bulgaria. Photo courtesy Kozloduy NPP.

7 Nov (NucNet): The operating licence for Unit 5 at the Kozloduy nuclear power station in Bulgaria has been extended by 10 years until 2027, the country’s energy ministry said. The 963-MW VVER V-320 unit, which began commercial operation in December 1988, could operate until 2047, the ministry said, but a 10-year extension is the longest allowed under Bulgarian law. Its existing operating licence was due to expire this month. Bulgaria has two nuclear units in commercial operation, Kozloduy-5 and Kozloduy-6. They are both Russian-designed VVERs and produce about 33% of the country’s electricity. The operating licence for Kozloduy-6 expires in August 2019. Extending the life of the two units is a priority for Bulgaria’s government, energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova said. Lachezar Kostov, the head of the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, said last year that the main tasks for Bulgaria’s nuclear energy sector are lifetime extensions at Kozloduy-5 and -6, modernisation of the two units by increasing their capacity, construction of a new unit at Kozloduy, and development of a national repository for low- and medium-level radioactive waste.

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