Bulgaria's NPP Kozloduy Moves to Extend Reactor Life by 20 Years

Business » ENERGY | April 20, 2012, Friday // 14:52
Bulgaria: Bulgaria's NPP Kozloduy Moves to Extend Reactor Life by 20 Years Bulgaria plans to extend the life of its two nuclear reactors until 2037-39. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's only operational nuclear power plant in the Danube town of Kozloduy has started the first phase of the procedure to extend the life of its two 1000 MW reactors by 20 years.

The Kozloduy NPP has made a contract with a consortium of Rosenergoatom Russia and French company EDF formally called Consortium OAD "Concern Rosenergoatom" (Russia) – EDF (France) for complex surveying and appraisal of the resources and equipment of the two operational reactors, Units 5 and 6, announced the CEO of the plant Alexander Nikolov at a joint news conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.

Back in 2011, the Bulgarian government started a tender to extend the life of the reactors, at least until 2035. Back then reports said the most likely winner of the tender for the modernization of the Kozloduy NPP is a consortium of Rosenergoatom Russia and French company EDF.

After the installation of Unit 6, the newest one, in 1991, the Kozloduy NPP reached a total production capacity of 3 760 MW. Currently, however, the capacity of the plant is down to 2000 MW after Bulgaria shut down the 440 MW reactors 1-4 in 2002 and 2006 at the insistence of the EU as part of the country's EU accession negotiations.

Nikolov made it clear that the plant is now to comply with the conditions of the licenses of Units 5 and 6 issued by the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulation Agency, and will draft and implement a program for preparing to extend the life of the two reactors.

Unit 5's life is to end in 2037, and Unit 6's – in 2019, but these dates are to be pushed back by 20 years if the program is implemented successfully.

The program in question is to be implemented based on the results of the survey to be conducted by Rosenergoatom and EDF. Once it is implemented, the Kozloduy NPP will be able to request from the Nuclear Regulation Agency in Sofia new licenses for the operation of Units 5 and 6.

The issue about extending the life of the two reactors has become especially acute as the Borisov Cabinet decided in March 2012 to abandon the project for the construction of a second Bulgarian NPP, which was supposed to be located in another Danube town, Belene. It has already moved to install in Kozloduy (as Unit 7) the Russian made 1000 MW reactor that was destined for Belene.

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Tags: Alexander Nikolov, NPP, Kozloduy NPP, Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 5, Unit 6, Nuclear Regulation Agency, Belene NPP, EDF, Rosenergoatom, consortium

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