Bulgarians Backing Belene NPP Project only if it's Cost-Effective - Poll
As much as 59% of Bulgarians will support the potential revival of the project for construction of Belene nuclear power plant - only in case it proves to be economically viable, the results of a new survey show. About one-third of respondents (30%) believe the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria should be resumed with no strings attached, while 11% say the Belene NPP must not be built at all, according to the results of the survey conducted by Sofia-based polling agency Alpha Research. The poll was carried out among 1,017 respondents across Bulgaria during June 17 - 25.Some 69% of the participants say they are worried about risks related to the implementation of the project. Inside that group, 46% are worried about environmental and safety risks, next come economic and financial risks (29%), geopolitical risks (23%) and domestic political risks (20%).Around 30% say they are not worried about any risks related to the project. In May, Traicho Traikov, former Bulgarian minister of economy and energy, told SeeNews that the Belene nuclear project is economically unfeasible and will hinder the introduction of new technologies in the country’s energy sector.