Russia's OMZ Group, Atomenergoprom Sign 82 Mln Euro Deal for Equipment Supply to Bulgarian N-Plant Belene

OMZ will supply 1,500 tonnes of reactor equipment including reactor shells and in-vessel components such as pits, reflection shields, protective pipes, reactor closures and upper units, through its subsidiary Izhorskiye Zavody, OMZ said in a statement last week.

The first reactor vessel is to be manufactured and shipped by December 2011, and the second one is to be completed by September 2012, it added.

In early 2008 Bulgaria signed a 3.99 billion euro deal with Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Atomenergoprom, for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belene, on the Danube.

The Balkan country hopes the new nuclear power plant will help it make up for the generating capacity it lost after closing down the four Soviet-made reactors of 440 megawatts (MW) each at its sole Kozloduy nuclear power plant as a condition for joining the European Union in 2007. The closures left Kozloduy operating its two remaining reactors of 1,000 MW each.

The Belene project envisages the construction of two power units with VVER-1000 water-cooled reactors with 1,000 MW capacity each. The reactors are planned to enter into exploitation in 2014 and 2015.

($ = 0.6972 euro)