Minister Malinov and Fatih Birol discussed Europe's preparations for the upcoming winter season

"Europe is facing a number of challenges related to the onset of the upcoming winter season. Taking a unified approach to ensuring energy security is key." This was said by the Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov during a bilateral meeting with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol. The two spoke in the French capital, Paris, where a conference on Ukraine's nuclear security is being held. They agreed that the Old Continent's winter preparations should reflect the needs of oil, natural gas and electricity, including in view of the expected deficit in Ukraine.

By the end of this year, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy and the International Energy Agency will be signed. Malinov and Birol united around this short-term measure to strengthen cooperation in all spheres of mutual interest. Officially, our country will join the agency after becoming a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Minister Malinov also met with the US Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs Andrew Light. The two were unanimous that with the expansion of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement on the project to build a new nuclear power at the site of the Kozloduy NPP and the nuclear program for civil purposes of Bulgaria, a new horizon will be given to bilateral relations.

Among the topics of the conversation was the progress on the project for the construction of the 7th and 8th units of the Kozloduy NPP. Minister Malinov and Assistant Secretary Light expressed the desire of the Bulgarian and American sides to sign an engineering contract between Kozloduy NPP - New Powers EAD and a consortium between Westinghouse Electric Company and Hyundai Engineering and Construction by October 30 of this year.

During the meeting, the progress of our country in studying the applicability of small modular reactors in our country as complementary energy capacities that will contribute to the flexibility of the system was noted. Minister Malinov recalled that in the implementation of this process we will rely on the excellent cooperation with the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Deepening the cooperation between Bulgaria and the USA in the field of diversification of fresh nuclear fuel, spent nuclear fuel, oil and renewable energy storage were also among the topics discussed.

During his visit to Paris, Minister Malinov also spoke with his Ukrainian colleague German Galushchenko. The two discussed topics of key importance for Ukraine's energy security during the upcoming winter season - increasing the incoming capacity to the country's electricity transmission network from 1.7 to 2.5 gigawatts, as well as Bulgaria's opportunities for solidarity assistance to the Ukrainian people by providing electricity for the winter. The deal to sell the Belene NPP reactors to Ukraine was also among the topics of conversation between the two.