site.btaEnergy Minister Inspects Site with Equipment for Scrapped Belene N-Plant Project

Sofia, October 21 (BTA) - Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova Saturday inspected the site where the equipment for the scrapped Belene nuclear power plant project is being stored. Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Petkova once again said that the equipment that has arrived from Russia, which is half of the what had been ordered before the project was abandoned, is being kept properly and in accordance with all requirements of the Russian manufacturer.

Bulgaria's plans to build a new N-plant, at Belene (on the Danube), were abandoned in 2012 as unfeasible. Last year, however, this country was ordered by an arbitration court to pay close to 1.2 billion leva to the Russian contractor AtomStroyExport for two reactors it had already built for Belene, and the Government has since been trying to revive the project.

The directors of the Bulgarian Energy Holding and of the National Electricity Company, Petyo Ivanov and Peter Iliev, respectively, took part in the inspection of the site on Saturday.