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From Bulgaria

16.08.2017 16:50

Bulgaria to Start Privatisation Procedure for Planned Belene NPP in Early 2018

The Bulgarian state is to have a minority stake in the project

AUTHOR: publics.bg

© Atomstroyexport

The privatisation procedure for Bulgaria’s for the planned Belene NPP, which has been indefinitely frozen since 2012, is to start in early 2018, Bulgarian energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova said during a press conference on Wednesday.

“The [Bulgarian] state has never had a resource in the likes of BGN 20 billion (about EUR 10 bn) to partake in the project. If the power plant is to be constructed, the state will have a minority stake in the project”, minister Petkova said, adding that the minority stake would likely be made in the form of monetary contribution to a project company to be set up for Belene NPP.

All the produced equipment for the nuclear power plant is to be delivered by end-September of this year, Petkova said. Bulgaria paid Russian contractor Atomstroyexport more than EUR 601 m following a Geneva arbitration decision earlier this year.

Rekindling of the project via privatisation has been on the agenda of the third Borisov cabinet since May of this year, with plans to build a new generation onsite Bulgaria’s existing NPP at Kozloduy rather being considered as a plan B.