Bulgaria Signs Up Westinghouse to Help Extend Life of NPP Kozloduy
The Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and Westinghouse have signed a cooperation memorandum under which the US energy giant commits to helping extend the life of Units 5 and 6 of Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP.
The document between BEH and Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (entitled "Memorandum of Understanding for the Studying of Cooperation Opportunities in Nuclear Energy") was signed Monday at the Council of Ministers in the presence of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Economy Minister Traicho Traikov, US Ambassador James Warlick, and Westinghouse President for EMEA Anders Jackson.
This is the second cooperation agreement with an international nuclear energy giant that the Borisov government strikes in two months after signing a memorandum of cooperation with French corporation Areva in April 2011.
The BEH-Westinghouse memorandum provides for cooperation with respected to the planned modernization to extend the life of the 1000-MW Units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, the only Bulgarian NPP, whose 440-MW Units 1-4 were shut down in 2002-2006 as part of Bulgaria's EU accession negotiations.
In the fall of 2010, Bulgaria's Economy Minister explained that the license of Unit 5 of the Kozloduy plant expires in 2017, and of Unit 6 - in 2019, but that the government will take measures to extend their life.
In November 2010, the newly-appointed CEO of the Kozloduy NPP Kostadin Dimitrov forecast that the life of the two reactors will be extended by 20 years. Thus, Bulgaria's potential arrangements
Two weeks ago, Kozloduy NPP CEO Kostadin Dimitrov explained that the extension procedure should be completed by 2016-2017, and that it will cost about BGN 100 M. (Source: Sofia News Agency)