Bulgarian Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov said that one of two units of Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy is expected to switch to using non-Russian nuclear fuel after 2024.
Asked whether Bulgaria has an alternative source of nuclear fuel if Russia stops supplies, Nikolov said there is an alternative supplier and making the arrangements is a matter of time but declined to name a particular country or company because this may impair their public interest.
In his words, the problems of the Bulgarian electricity system and the link with Russia are problems for all Europe rather than for Bulgaria alone, and Czechia is the most telling example as far as nuclear fuel is concerned.
In February 2021, NPP Kozloduy and Westinghouse Electric Sweden have signed a contract for analyzing the safety of licensing and implementing alternative fuel in the plant’s unit 5. The contract translates into reality the NPP’s program for diversification of fresh nuclear fuel suppliers for units 5 and 6.
