Bulgaria has approved two targeted exemptions from sanctions on Russia covering maintenance-related activities at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant and preservation work on equipment stored at the unfinished Belene nuclear project.
The exemption for Kozloduy allows specified Russian iron and steel products to be imported under an existing contract until it expires.
The government said some equipment at the operating nuclear plant remains based on Russian technology, making certain replacement components and specialised materials difficult to obtain from alternative suppliers.
Kozloduy’s two operating reactors provide more than one-third of Bulgaria’s annual electricity generation, making continued access to necessary components important for plant reliability and nuclear safety.
A second exemption will allow state-owned National Electricity Company, or NEK, to arrange a new contract with the Bulgarian branch of Atomstroyexport to supervise preservation work on equipment manufactured for the planned Belene 1 and 2 units.
The equipment requires periodic preservation to remain within manufacturers’ technical specifications. The current supervision contract expires on Dec. 31, 2026.
Russian manufacturers of the long-lead equipment have authorised Atomstroyexport to supervise the preservation work, while specialists from the original manufacturers must also participate.
NEK plans to procure the service under Bulgaria’s Public Procurement Act. The sanctions exemption removes a legal obstacle that would otherwise prevent the new contract from being concluded.
The measures leave existing Russian-linked supply and technical channels open for narrowly defined nuclear activities while sanctions remain in force elsewhere.
