Bulgaria moves to install new nuclear reactor at Kozloduy plant

United States-based Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a contract on front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a new unit at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria, the first step in a project to install an AP1000 reactor at the site.

Under the contract, work is now commencing to assess whether the existing infrastructure at the Kozloduy site can support the construction of an AP1000 reactor, according to a press release from Westinghouse. The nuclear power plant currently has two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors in operation.

Earlier this year, Westinghouse and Bulgaria’s Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild set up a joint working group to plan the deployment of an AP1000 reactor, the press release recalled.

Westinghouse will deliver Generation III+ reactor technology for the Bulgarian plant

“We are pleased to begin work to deliver the world’s most advanced, Generation III+ reactor technology to provide clean and reliable baseload energy for our customer and the people of Bulgaria,” said David Durham, Energy Systems President for Westinghouse.

The US company also said that the AP1000 advanced reactor is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, adding that it has a modular construction design and the smallest footprint per megawatt of electricity generation capacity on the market.

Bulgaria ends reliance on Russian nuclear fuel

In December 2022, Westinghouse signed a 10-year agreement to supply nuclear fuel to one of the existing reactors at Kozloduy starting in 2024. The fuel will be supplied out of Westinghouse’s site in Västerås, Sweden. Bulgaria has also signed an agreement with France’s Framatom and declared an end to its reliance on Russian nuclear fuel.

Bulgaria’s former Acting Energy Minister Rossen Hristov recently said that the country was preparing to sign a bilateral agreement with the US on cooperation in nuclear energy, and that the document would be adopted by the incoming cabinet.