August 5 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant (NPP) Kolzoduy said that its net profit doubled to 197.0 million levs ($112.4 million/100.7 million euro) in the first half of 2019 from 98.8 million levs in the comparable period of 2018, as revenue rose, while operating expenses remained flattish.
NPP Kozloduy's sales revenue grew to 629.8 million levs in the January-June period of 2019, compared to 527.2 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 2.1% to 7,743,183 MWh in the first six months of the year.
NPP Kozloduy's gross electricity output rose by an annual 2% to 8,135,546 MWh in the first half of 2019. Unit 5's output rose 3.9% to 3,511,847 MWh, while Unit 6 produced 0.6% more year-on-year - 4,523,699 MWh.
Unit 5's output in the first half is traditionally lower than the one of the plant's other functioning unit, as it usually undergoes planned annual maintenance during the first half of each year, while Unit 6's maintenance is usually carried out in the second half.
The plant's expenses for materials fell by 16.5 million levs to 67.2 million levs in the first six months of the year, while expenses for hired services decreased by 9.5 million levs to 49.7 million levs.
Amortisation costs were 15.2 million levs lower compared to a year earlier at 83.8 million levs.
Personnel expenses rose to 119.3 million levs in the review period from 110.7 million levs the year before, while other expenses grew to 99.8 million levs from 83.5 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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