November 5 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant (NPP) Kolzoduy said that its net profit soared to 307.9 million levs ($175.2 million/157.4 million euro) in the first nine months of 2019 from 169.7 million levs in the comparable period of 2018, as revenue rose, while operating expenses remained flattish.
NPP Kozloduy's total sales revenue grew to 998.3 million levs in the January-September period of 2019, compared to 813.3 million levs in the same period of last year, the power plant operator said in an interim financial statement.
The plant's electricity sales increased by 3.3% to 11,849,655 MWh in the first nine months of the year.
NPP Kozloduy's gross electricity output rose by an annual 3.2% to 12,461,338 MWh in the review period. Unit 5's output rose 3.6% to 5,813,702 MWh, while Unit 6 upped its output 2.8% to 6,647,636.
The rise in output is largely due to Unit 5's successful capacity increase to 104%, the power plant operator noted.
The plant's expenses for materials fell by 17.2 million levs to 70.6 million levs in the review period, while expenses for hired services decreased by 5.9 million levs to 89.1 million levs.
The power plant operator also lowered its amortisation costs to 126.2 million levs from 148.2 million levs in the prior-year period.
Personnel expenses rose to 203 million levs in the review period from 160.2 million levs the year before, while other expenses grew to 158.6 million levs from 129.6 million levs.
NPP Kozloduy has two operational units - Units 5 and 6 - of 1,000 MW each. The plant's four other units, of 440 MW each, were closed down to address nuclear safety concerns of the European Union prior to Bulgaria's accession to the bloc in 2007.
(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)
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