Georgi Velev
georgi.velev@klassa.bg


A decision for Belene NPP's construction will be issued when the European Commission delivers a ruling on its safety, said yesterday on Nova TV, Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism (MEET), Traicho Traikov. Probably, this fact prompted the statement of Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov that this week Bulgaria and Russia will sign a new memorandum which will impose a three-month moratorium on the project. It is necessary in order to clear up the technical issues on the cost of the construction of the NPP, on seismic patterns in the region, as well as other controversial issues.

The Bulgarian side has sent another 30 questions to the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom about the structure and security of the NPP, specified Traikov during the parliamentary control session on Friday. He explained that the questions were stipulated mainly because of the accidents at the Japanese nuclear plant Fukushima 1. Bulgaria expects all questions to be answered by an inspection and evidence submitted. Traikov confirmed that no compromise will be made with respect to the safety of the future NPP and its economic feasibility. The option for the request of additional guarantees for the reactors' safety to be confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the relevant EC authorities is also under consideration. The placement of  additional reactor safeguards, however, will further increase its cost, stated a week ago Komarov. He explained that 40% of Belene NPP's cost has to do with ensuring the safety of reactors.

By the end of 2011, MEET will consider and assess the risk and safety of Belene NPP. The inspection will be carried out under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Analyses on the risks of flooding, fire, explosions will be made, as well as on the seismic and technological risks of the interruption of the cooling of the reactor's active zones, taking into account the lessons learned from the accident in Japan, explained Traikov.