July 4 (SeeNews) - One of the two operational units of Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant (NPP) Kozloduy could work with fuel sourced from a supplier other than Russia beyond 2024, outgoing energy minister Alexander Nikolov said.
There are several potential nuclear fuel suppliers involved and a number of reasons, including commercial, that preclude mentioning their names or the countries involved, Nikolov said on Sunday as seen in a video extract from an interview by private broadcaster bTV.
However, an alternative supplier is guaranteed and it is only a matter of time to switch to one, Nikolov said, adding that Bulgaria's electricity system is stable and able to cope with any kind of scenario.
In early 2021, Kozloduy NPP signed a contract with Westinghouse Electric Sweden for conducting an analysis of an alternative fuel type for the plant's Unit 5. Westinghouse is the only other producer of fuel casks for VVER-1000 reactors used at Kozloduy NPP besides the power plant's current supplier - Russian nuclear fuel cycle company TVEL, the nuclear plant said at the time.
The Russian-made power plant in Kozloduy, on the Danube river, has two operational units - Units 5 and 6 - of 1,000 MW each. Their licenses are due for review in 2027 and 2029, respectively.
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