January 13 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's parliament mandated the caretaker government to begin talks with the U.S. on a potential agreement for the construction of two additional reactors at Kozloduy nuclear power power plant using the AP-1000 technology.
The decision was passed in a 112-45 vote with 39 abstentions in the 240-seat National Assembly, according to video of the voting broadcast by news outlet Dnevnik on Thursday.
The parliament tasked the energy minister with taking all necessary steps by March 1 to start a process facilitating the construction of a new unit, Unit 7, at Kozloduy NPP. The cabinet is also required to move forward with preparations for obtaining a licence and environmental impact assessment for the construction of an identical Unit 8 at Kozloduy, although a timeline for that was not stipulated.
The AP-1000 pressurised water reactor technology designed and sold by U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Co has been deemed the most suitable to use for expanding Kozloduy NPP's capacity, according to the decision published on the parliament's website. Currently, the Bulgarian nuclear power plant operates two Russian-built reactors, Units 5 and 6, with a capacity of 1,000 MW each. Bulgaria closed down the NPP's four older Russian-made units of 440 MW each to address nuclear safety concerns of the European Union prior to its accession to the bloc in 2007.
Earlier this month, Bulgaria, which has been keen to eliminate its energy dependence on Russia, signed an agreement with France's Framatome to receive fresh nuclear fuel for Unit 6 between 2025 and 2034. This was preceded by a similar agreement with Westinghouse Electric in December for nuclear fuel for Unit 5.