8 Sept (NucNet): The Bulgarian government has confirmed that a ground-breaking ceremony for the country’s Belene nuclear power plant was held on 3 September 2008.
Bulgarian prime minister Sergei Stanishev, who launched the ceremony, said: “The construction of the Belene nuclear plant is crucial for the Bulgarian energy sector, because energy is the blood of the economy, it enables us to produce enough electricity at affordable prices for Bulgarian industry.”
In January 2008, Atomstroyexport of Russia and Bulgaria’s National Electric Company (NEK) signed a contract for the design, construction and commissioning of two Russian-designed VVER-1000 pressurised water reactor units. The main foreign subcontractor for the project is a consortium comprising Areva NP of France and Siemens of Germany.
Bulgaria’s economy and energy minister Peter Dimitrov said that actual construction work should begin by May 2009. He said foundation works for unit 2 will continue until the end of this year followed by foundation works for unit 1 to be completed by March 2009.
Unit 1 is scheduled to be built within the next seven years while unit 2 is scheduled to be built within the next 8 years.
The total cost of the project will be about 4 billion euro (EUR) (about 6 billion US dollars). Bulgaria is expected to apply for up to EUR 300 million from the European Investment Bank and up to another EUR 300 million from the EU’s Euratom loan programme for the Belene reactors.
The European Commission gave the green light for the project in December 2007 saying it was in line with the Euratom nuclear treaty and that the chosen design at Belene includes various passive safety systems as well as improved protection against external hazards, such as earthquakes and air crashes.
Construction of Belene, on Bulgaria’s Danube river border with Romania, originally began in 1986 but was stopped in 1991 when unit one was approximately 65 percent complete. Original plans were for two units with four more units to be added later.
– by John Shepherd
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
EC Gives Green Light For Bulgaria's Belene (World Nuclear Review No. 49, 7 December 2007)
Russia Signs EUR 4 Billion Contract For Belene-1 And -2 (News in Brief No. 8, 21 January 2008)
