Whether a private investor will assume the Belene NPP project to become clear by the new year

“Whether there will be a private investor for the second Bulgarian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and who he is will be clear by the new year.”

“The Belene NPP project is needed," said Bogomil Manchev, Chairman of the Bulatom Nuclear Forum, for electronic media on Sunday. Analyses conducted by the World Bank and various other analysts, who examined the energy needs in the entire region, proved this fact. The region comprises Bulgaria, Romania, the republics of the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey and  Hungary. The energy deficit grows each year in this region. Moreover, only after half a year, the quotas of harmful emissions purchased will dramatically increase in order to prevent the pollution of the environment. This is due under the contracts which Bulgaria has signed with the European Community and we have to respect these. The carbon dioxide emissions, which are being discharged by the production of electricity from coal and oil, are substantial - for 1 MW of electrical energy a total of 1.1 to 1.3 tons of carbon dioxide are being discharged, and someone has to pay the price, no matter how much it costs - € 5, €15 or €20.

As of 1 January 2013, demand for emission allowances will exceed the normal supply and prices will increase. There is no one else to pay for it but end users - industry and ordinary citizens. We have to add to this price the uneven introduction of renewable energy sources, as an investment which has to be made over the years.  We have to reach 16% by 2020 under schedule, but we have already achieved this figure. This is not a positive issue because this type of energy is being subsidised by the State.

“What will happen to the investors? Most likely a full collapse will happen to investors in our country in the near future,” said Manchev.

According to him, the admission of private investors with long-term contracts for the purchase of electricity generated by the Maritsa Iztok-1 and Maritsa Iztok- 3 Thermoelectric Power Plants (TPPs) has a negative impact on the economy. If we had not allowed for these plants to operate under firm contracts, stipulating the price of electricity produced, we would not have these problems. Such conditions have never been proposed for the Belene NPP . The Belene NPP has always been designed and deemed a project operating on the open market, at any price of the electricity generated by it. “This is the risk for the investor,” said Manchev. “The owner of the plant can be a very different one from the contractor of the plant,” he explained. It might be a Western company, a Western consortium, whatever you like. The investor is free to order any technology but it must meet European standards. I do not know that the Belene NPP project does not meet European standards.

According to Manchev, the transfer of one unit, commissioned for the site of the Belene NPP to the Kozloduy NPP, is technically possible, but the reactor must be kept in storage for seven-eight years.

"There are three crucial issues that Bulgaria pursues in its nuclear power strategy. The first one is the extension of the service life of the 5th and 6th units at the Kozloduy NPP. We have signed a contract that is being implemented and aims at developing a programme stipulating the activities which should be conducted on the 5th and 6th units of the plant in order for these to be licensed and be able to operate for up to 60 years. The second issue is related to the development of a new nuclear power capacity. If the Belene NPP project is taken over by a private investor, the so-called 7th unit will be implemented in a calmer and safer manner.”

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