Kozloduy NPP to cancel Russian fuel supply deal - report

The Russian nuclear fuel already delivered will be used as a backup option, BNT quoted Kozloduy NPP CEO Valentin Nikolov as saying.

Kozloduy operates two Soviet-made reactors of 1,000 MW each, which run on fresh nuclear fuel delivered by Russian company TVEL. The operational licences of these units are set to expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.

On Tuesday, Kozloduy NPP loaded the last of the initial 43 nuclear fuel cassettes delivered by Westinghouse Electric into its Unit 5, which is scheduled for recommissioning on June 9. The price of Westinghouse's nuclear fuel is comparable to that of Russian fuel, Nikolov noted.

In January, the plant received a permit from Bulgaria's nuclear energy regulator to store fresh Robust Westinghouse Fuel Assembly fuel type on-site. Last month, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency said it granted Kozloduy NPP a permit to switch to the new fuel type, with the transition expected to take four years.

"In the four-year period, we must complete the diversification that is necessary for Bulgaria given the geopolitical situation," Nikolov said.

At the same time, negotiations with France's Framatome for the supply of nuclear fuel for Kozloduy's other operating reactor, Unit 6, are continuing. In December 2022, Kozloduy signed a deal with Framatome to supply fresh nuclear fuel for Unit 6.

Caretaker energy minister Vladimir Malinov said the Export-Import Bank of the United States has agreed to fully finance the delivery of U.S. equipment for the planned new units 7 and 8 at Kozloduy NPP, as well as cover 40% of Bulgarian participation in the project.