November 10 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's parliament decided to mandate the caretaker government to initiate a process for licensing of alternative deliveries of nuclear fuel for the Kozloduy power plant in a bid to eliminate dependence on Russian supplies.
The proposal, put forward by the GERB-UDF political coalition, was adopted in a 156-47 vote in the 240-seat National Assembly, the parliament said in a statement published after the vote on Wednesday.
Taking into account the EU directives on the diversification of energy supplies, the caretaker government must take all necessary steps to enable the country's Nuclear Regulatory Agency to review and license an alternative supplier of nuclear fuel, with a view to issuing a supply permit and securing the reloading of the reactors with fresh fuel in 2024, according to the statement.
The decision was opposed only by the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the nationalist, pro-Russian Revival, the vote tally showed.
Last month, the caretaker government backtracked on a decision by the previous administration, arguing that it is seeking to ensure a competitive environment for existing alternative nuclear fuel producers ahead of launching an envisaged tender.
Bulgaria currently receives all fresh nuclear fuel for its two Russian-made VVER-1000 reactors at Kozloduy NPP from Russian nuclear fuel cycle company TVEL. The Swedish division of Westinghouse and France's Framatome, which is majority owned by state-backed utility Electricite de France (EDF), are the only two non-Russian companies that produce nuclear fuel for Kozloduy's reactors.
Although the nuclear power plant has been looking to diversify the supply of fresh nuclear fuel since 2019, the decision rests with the Nuclear Regulatory Agency.
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