Bulgaria's Cabinet has approved the report of the Minister of Economy and Energy, Dragomir Stoynev, on the need to build a new unit at the country's only nuclear power plant.
With it, the Minister receives mandate to instruct the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) to negotiate with a strategic investor and with US energy giant "Westinghouse," which is to build a reactor with its technology.
Stoynev has given the following details of the decision: to negotiate with Japan's "Toshiba Corporation" an agreement for a strategic investor for the project and construction of a new unit at the nuclear power plant NPP "Kozloduy" with technology reactor with water pressure AP 1000-3 + of the "Westinghouse Electric Company" US.
The Council of Ministers further instructs the Minister of Economy and Energy to organize, coordinate and control the negotiations for structuring and financing of the project "Building a New Unit at NPP "Kozloduy."
The decision of the Council of Ministers was made on December 11 in implementing a decision of the Council of Ministers from April 11, 2012, (during the term of the previous government), which is an agreement in principle to take actions necessary to build a new reactor at NPP Kozloduy.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria is also striving to get an extension of the life of units 5, 6 of the Kozloduy NPP.
The license of unit 5 of NPP Kozloduy expires in November 2017 and that of unit 6 in October 2019.