U.S.-based Global Power Consortium eyes Bulgaria's Belene NPP project – media

The consortium is in negotiations with Bulgarian state-owned power grid operator NEK over the Belene project, news portal Dnevnik (www.dnevnik.bg) quoted a representative of the consortium as saying before the economy committee in Bulgaria's parliament.

The Belene project had been mothballed for nearly two decades before Bulgaria decided to resurrect it and hired Russia's Atomstroyexport in 2008 to build the 2,000 megawatt (MW) facility. After the project made scant headway, the government in Sofia decided in March to abandon it altogether, choosing instead to add a new 1,000 MW reactor to its existing nuclear power station in Kozloduy.

Earlier this month Atomstroyexport said it will seek no less than 1.0 billion euro ($1.29 billion) as compensation for Bulgaria's decision to drop the project.

The representative of the consortium said that they have started negotiations with Atomstroyexport, which would
be suppliers of the nuclear components of the project. The Russian company has indicated it was interested and willing to negotiate, Dnevnik quoted the representative of the consortium as saying.

He added the project is planned to be financed entirely by Global Power Consortium which will seek no financial guarantees for it from the Bulgarian government.

($ = 0.7782 euro)