Westinghouse, 17 Bulgarian cos sign MoUs for new units at Kozloduy NPP

The MoUs envisage manufacturing key components such as large structural modules, cranes, heat exchangers and pressure vessels, along with providing engineering, transport, consultancy and construction services, Westinghouse said in a press release.

Among the 17 suppliers are power plant equipment maintenance company Atomenergoremont [BUL:ATOM], industrial equipment manufacturer Bulmachinery Enterprises, testing, inspection and certification services provider Bureau Veritas Bulgaria and electric facilities maintenance provider CERB.

"The signing of today's agreements brings us one step closer to building a new nuclear power plant in Bulgaria using the most advanced technology and highlights the economic impact the project will have on our country and society. We expect these Bulgarian companies to become a critical part of Westinghouse's global supply chain, and in particular for all the projects to build new nuclear power that Westinghouse plans to implement in Europe," project company Kozloduy NPP-New Build CEO Petyo Ivanov said.

Last June, Westinghouse signed a front-end engineering design contract for a new reactor build with Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild, followed by MoUs with five Bulgarian companies signed in October for the construction of new units at Kozloduy NPP and other European countries.

In December, the Bulgarian parliament approved a government proposal to allocate up to 1.5 billion levs ($822.8 million/766.9 million euro) to Kozloduy NPP for the construction of the new AP1000 technology reactors.

Former energy minister Rumen Radev estimated in February the total cost of the two reactors to reach up to $14 billion. Later that month, parliament gave the green light to holding talks by April 15 with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Construction for the potential construction of the new units.

Kozloduy, Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant, currently operates two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors of 1000 MW each, with their operational licences set to expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)