Bulgarian Minister of Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Christopher A. Ford signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries’ Governments on strategic cooperation in civil nuclear power. Bulgaria and the United States have signed key documents on 5G networks security and civil nuclear power. The signing took place in the presence of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined via video conference.
PM Borisov said that the US is an important strategic partner of Bulgaria in the energy sector, and promoting this partnership is yet another key element in the switch to a low-carbon economy. In the context of the accelerated progress of the European Green Deal, targeting EU climate neutrality by 2050, the PM Borisov noted that nuclear power is one of the greener and cleaner energies and pointed to Bulgaria’s desire to use a safer, later-generation technology and to achieve nuclear fuel diversification. According to him, the European Green Deal cannot be implemented without peaceful uses of nuclear energy. As far as Bulgaria is concerned, nuclear power plays an important role for national, regional and European energy security. Minister Petkova said that the civil nuclear energy memorandum will give a fresh impetus and provide a solid foundation for future bilateral energy cooperation. The document will also contribute to achieving diversification of energy sources, which is Bulgaria’s key priority. The MoU will promote bilateral cooperation in line with Bulgaria’s interest in new secure civil nuclear power technologies that are developed by the US. In the document, the two countries express their desire to interact in support of their nuclear power industries for the future development and maintenance of the infrastructure and human resource capacity for responsible use of nuclear power and technologies. PM Borissov added that Bulgaria already has genuine diversification of natural gas as a strategic input. He cited the swift purchase of a 20 % stake in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Alexandroupoli in northern Greece and the construction at a full swing of the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnection. He stressed that due to the best reverse-flow compressor station, Bulgaria managed to change the direction of gas import from east-west to south-north.
