Bulgaria is actively working on the implementation of the Program for Diversification of Fresh Nuclear Fuel Supplies

Bulgaria continues to actively work on the implementation of the Program for Diversification of Fresh Nuclear Fuel Supplies for the Kozloduy NPP, conducting intensive talks with all potential fuel suppliers on the market. It strives to speed up the process as much as possible, taking into account the decision of the National Assembly of November 9, 2022. It maintains in the negotiations the leading principles of prioritizing nuclear safety, respecting the independence of the nuclear regulator in the licensing of the alternative fuel, as well as not allowing the replacement of a dependency with another. The intention is to finalize the negotiations with the American company "Westinghouse" and the French "Framatom" as soon as possible. This is what Deputy Minister of Energy Elenko Bozhkov assured his colleagues and representatives of the European Commission at a high-level meeting held on December 7, 2022 in Brussels.

The Bulgarian side's request to consider possible financial support for alternative nuclear fuel licensing activities carried out by the national nuclear regulator was also positively received.

The meeting was initiated by the Commission and led by the Deputy Director General of the General Directorate "Energy" Massimo Gariba. The deputy ministers of the member states operating VVER reactors, the heads of the nuclear power plants, incl. the executive director of Kozloduy NPP, as well as the general director of the Euratom Supply Agency.

Westinghouse and Framatom presented the companies' technical readiness to supply fresh nuclear fuel for VVER reactors.

The participants in the meeting also discussed the Commission's proposal for a draft Roadmap to accelerate the diversification of SAG supplies, with a special focus on the VVER-440 reactor fuel. The document sets out specific tasks with deadlines for member state governments, nuclear operators and European institutions. In the coming months, work will continue at the technical level, and will be followed by another high-level meeting in the spring of 2023.