January 22 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP-New Build, a special project company owned by state-owned Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP), said it is inviting expressions of interest (EOI) for the construction of a new reactor using Westinghouse Electric's AP1000 technology.
The procedure will be limited to prequalification of candidates and shortlisting during which the requested information submitted by the interested candidates shall be checked for compliance with the eligibility and prequalification criteria on “pass/fail” basis, Kozloduy NPP-New Build said in an invitation for EOI published on Friday.
The shortlisted candidates will then be able to submit their offers in a separate new procedure. Candidates from the Russian Federation will not be considered and shortlisted, the project company said.
Candidates must have experience in the construction and commissioning of at least two nuclear units, along with designing nuclear or turbine island systems, structures and components and supplying and installing equipment for at least two nuclear reactors.
The new AP1000 plant should be operational before 2035, with Westinghouse overseeing the overall design authority while delegating responsibilities for the design of individual plant systems and buildings.
Potential candidates will be able to submit expressions of interest by February 2.
Last month, the Bulgarian parliament approved a government proposal to inject up to 1.5 billion levs ($835 million/766.9 million euro) in Kozloduy NPP to fund the planned construction of two new reactors using the AP1000 technology. By February 2, the energy ministry must also ensure the start of necessary procedures for a project for the construction of a second AP1000 reactor at Kozloduy NPP.
In June, Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild signed a front-end engineering design contract for a new reactor build with U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Company.
Kozloduy, Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant, currently operates two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors of 1000 MW each. Their operational licences will expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.
($ = 0.9185 euro)
AETs Kozloduy EAD is among the biggest companies in SEE. You can download our SEE Top 100 ranking
here or subscribe to our free Top 100 newsletter
here