The energy minister reported progress on the project for the 7th unit of the Kozloduy NPP

There is concrete progress on the project for the seventh unit of the Kozloduy NPP. This was stated by the Minister of Energy Rumen Radev before the Energy Committee of the National Assembly.

He specified that there is an interdepartmental working group to build a railway connection to Kozloduy, because now there is none, which is a logistical challenge. There are procedures for expropriation and other activities that require the support of all political groups, BTA quoted the energy minister as saying.

Regarding the supplier of the engineering project in the "nuclear island" part, there are clear deadlines and we are waiting for a report by March next year, Radev also said.

In the meantime, documents are being prepared to be addressed to potential contractors for the basic construction works. We have the autonomy in making a decision on the supplier of the generator and turbine part, so that we do not depend on only one technological choice. We have serious requirements for those we will invite to talks, so that there is a choice of the entire complex of participants. Most likely, this will not be done through a consortium, but through a multilateral contract, with a clear commitment of all participants until the end of the project - that is, until the capacities are included in parallel, the agency quoted the minister as saying.

We are also looking seriously at the idea of an eighth unit at the NPP, said Radev. Therefore, the existing infrastructure in Kozloduy also helps. The "New Capacities" project company cannot be useful if we do not fill it with personnel. Not with management personnel, but with engineers to work. Our ambition is our engineers, who are now working, including on Russian sites in other countries, to return here and look for prospects in the country, said Radev.

We want to negotiate conditions within a fixed period and at a fixed price in order to achieve optimal conditions for our country from the project for a new reactor. The price we are aiming for is "significantly, in times, more than twice, the price of the two blocks of the North American project", which is quoted in the public space, the minister pointed out, also indicated by BTA.