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From Bulgaria

31.08.2012 14:29

Bulgaria Weekly Recap: New Reactor, Gas Deals and Metro Line

One step ahead for Bulgaria

AUTHOR: Lyudmila Zlateva

Westinghouse secured a feasibility study contract for the new planned reactor in Kozloduy NPP
The price of gas Bulgaria will get from Gazprom in 2013 would depend on the participation of the country in South Stream gas pipeline
Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the EC, at the opening of the new metro line in Sofia

Monday was announced that Westinghouse has been awarded a contract for a feasibility study for a new reactor at Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant. Westinghouse was in competition with French nuclear major Areva, which applied independently and in a consortium with Japan’s Mitsubishi, Australia’s Worley Parsons and Bulgaria’s Risk Engineering. The feasibility study will cost a little over EUR 995,000, after a 16% discount was negotiated with Westinghouse. Westinghouse will have to tailor the analysis to the project which will use the almost ready reactor built by Russian Atomstroyexport for the abandoned Belene nuclear power station project. The company will have to offer other technologies for the non-nuclear part of the new reactor. Bulgarian minister of economy, energy and tourism Delian Dobrev stated that the creation of a special purpose project company for the new nuclear unit construction should eliminate developments similar to Belene, where “the National Electricity Company (NEK) was hostage to Belene nuclear station”, which drew billions from the budget of NEK. You can also read our interview with Lyuben Marinov, Executive Director of the project company NPP Kozloduy – New Build EAD.

Later on Monday in the seaside city of Varna was held a special meeting between PM Boiko Borisov, economy minister Dobrev and Gazprom Official lead by CEO Alexey Miller. It became clear that the participation of Bulgaria in Russian gas pipeline project South Stream would be tightly related to the new gas delivery contract for 2013 the country will sing with Gazprom. Bulgaria should officially sign the South Stream papers by November 15.

The gas developments continued on Wednesday when the Bulgarian economy ministry signed a deal for oil and gas exploration in its Black Sea waters with a consortium between Total (France), OMV (Austria) and Repsol (Spain). Earlier this month from Total commented that the Bulgarian investment was rather risky, but it was also very prospective.

In other news, today was the opening of the new metro line in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, which was attended by government officials and Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the European Commission. The new line will be equipped with special parking lots whoch will be free to use during the first two hours of the stay, while each following hour will cost car owners BGN 0.5 (or 25 euro cents.). The extension of the Sofia metro system was described by Sofia mayor Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova as “the biggest infrastructure project in Bulgaria by this date” and is aided by European funds. You can also see our photoreport from the new metro line before it was opened to the public.