January 19 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria must build four new nuclear reactors to guarantee power generation capabilities once the two operational reactors at its sole nuclear power plant in Kozloduy are decommissioned, the caretaker government said.
There will be two reactors built at Kozloduy NPP, with the other two to be installed at the previously approved site at Belene, under a 30-year strategic plan for the energy sector's development approved by the government, the cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday.
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The estimated total cost of the projects included in the plan for the period 2023-2053 amounts to some 46 billion euro ($46.8 billion), the government added.
Kozloduy's current Unit 5 and Unit 6, of 1,000 MW each, have been licensed to operate until 2027 and 2029, respectively.
The plan, which was put forward by the energy ministry earlier this week, also envisages the use of Bulgaria's deposits of lignite coal for power generation until 2030, gradually winding down the operations of coal-fired power plants by 2038. There is also the need to develop renewable energy sources in the form of solar photovoltaic, wind and pumped storage hydro power plants, including to assist hydrogen production, as well as the use of geothermal energy for heating.
Bulgaria earned some 3 billion euro from exporting over 12 TWh of electricity in 2022, which enabled the state to compensate businesses for the high energy prices, caretaker energy minister Rosen Hristov said earlier this week. The strategic plan is seen as a means to maintain Bulgaria's leading role in the production and export of electricity in the Southeast European (SEE) region, supported by projects for the upgrade of some 2,000 km of power grids and related infrastructure. Bulgaria and Romania are also discussing potential hydro power projects on the Danube, Hristov added.
Last week, parliament instructed the caretaker cabinet to start negotiations with the U.S. on potentially building two new AP-1000 reactors at Kozloduy. Lawmakers also mandated the government to renegotiate parts of the country's National Recovery and Resilience Plan with the European Commission, seeking to push back coal phase-out commitments.
($ = 0.9244 euro)