Service Life of Kozloduy N-plant's Unit 6 Extended by Another 10 Years

The Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA), Latchesar Kostov, presented to the Kozloduy N-plant's CEO Nasko Mihov a license for the extension of the N-plant's Unit 6 for a period of ten years.

Kostov explained that this extension can be renewed again after the ten years expire, adding that his agency has inspected Unit 6 thoroughly. The results of the inspection showed that the Unit can be operated for a long time. The renewal process of Unit 6's license has started back in 2012. The assessments, including external ones, have come to show that the Unit can be operated without problems, Kostov said.

The N-plant's CEO said that the license renewal required much work and over 200 measures to be taken. "After all these measures were taken, I can assure you that Unit 6 can operate safely in the next 30 years," Mihov said.

Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova commented by saying that "today is a good day for the Bulgarian energy sector and economy". According to her, the N-plant offers green energy at affordable prices. The fact that the license has been issued shows that the N-plant operates according the highest safety and security standards. The Bulgarian Government has succeeded in one of its main priorities in the energy sector, which was to extend the service life of Units 5 and 6, she went on to say.

Petkova said in mid-September that the procedure for extending the service life of Unit 6 can be repeated every ten years for a maximum of 60 years. She also recalled that the service life of Unit 5 was extended two years ago, which guarantees Bulgaria's energy security in the next decade.

Source: BTA