Bulgaria is looking for ways to supply electricity to Ukraine

Minister Malinov spoke with US Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Payatt

Within the framework of his participation in the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is being held in Berlin, Minister Malinov held a bilateral meeting with the Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources of the United States, Jeffrey Payatt. "The initiative of the gas transmission operators of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, which was subsequently joined by Ukraine and Moldova, is a key project for energy security in the entire region of South-Eastern Europe", emphasized Minister Malinov. For his part, Jeffrey Payatt reaffirmed the support of the United States of America for the initiative, which made it possible to secure additional quantities of liquefied natural gas, including from the United States, for the countries of the region and for Ukraine. He also noted the positive progress of the Bulgarian side in the implementation of the project.

The two emphasized the successfully completed nuclear fuel diversification process, in which cooperation with the American side is of key importance. "As part of the planned annual maintenance, which ended yesterday, the fifth unit of the Kozloduy NPP was filled with fuel produced by Westinghouse." Thus, for the first time in its history, the unit is already working with alternative fuel," emphasized Minister Malinov.

Earlier, the Bulgarian energy minister also held a bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart German Galushchenko. The two noted the progress in the implementation of the Vertical Gas Corridor. "The strategic project is an expression of solidarity with Ukraine and is of key importance for ensuring energy security after the upcoming replacement of Russian natural gas supplies after January 1, 2025," Minister Malinov stressed.

German Galushchenko introduced Minister Malinov to the energy situation in the country during the hostilities, as a result of which more than 40% of the electricity production facilities were destroyed. "We are discussing the possibility of companies from the group of "Bulgarian Energy Holding" EAD donating to the Ukrainian side equipment worth over BGN 1 million, which will support the restoration of production facilities," announced Minister Malinov.

Creating a corridor for the export of electricity produced in Bulgaria to Ukraine is another topic discussed by the two ministers. According to Vladimir Malinov, this will be a real help for the Ukrainian population, especially during the winter months.

Last week, Bulgaria sent Ukraine the general conditions of the contract for the sale of equipment from the Belene NPP site, it became clear at the meeting of Vladimir Malinov and German Galushchenko. We remind you that the verification of the suitability and storage of the equipment has been successfully completed.