site.btaUPDATED Deep Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste in Bulgaria at Preliminary Research Stage - Energy Minister

At present, only preliminary research has been carried out of the options for deep geological disposal of nuclear waste in Bulgaria, caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov said in Parliament on Friday. He was given a hearing about the possible construction of facilities for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel from Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and hazardous radioactive waste on Bulgarian territory.

There has not been a decision either by the Energy Ministry or the Council of Ministers to build a deep geological repository for nuclear waste, Malinov underscored.

Malinov specified that the preliminary research indicate there are good geological conditions in Northern Bulgaria, in the marginal massifs of the Mizia plate. No field research of specific sites in Bulgaria has been carried out, he noted.

Malinov recalled that Bulgaria's nuclear programme follows a policy for the implementation of a nuclear fuel cycle in which spent nuclear fuel is sent for long-term storage and reprocessing. He explained that in previous periods Bulgaria had relied for a long time on the storage and reprocessing of nuclear fuel in Russia. The financial conditions and the lack of need to address the issues for the acceptance of high-level waste made this the preferred approach in previous national strategies, the Minister said. Due to the changed geopolitical environment, this practice is now impossible. This has necessitated the search for alternatives and the exploration of technological possibilities for reprocessing the spent nuclear fuel from the reactors. Nevertheless, Bulgaria has an obligation to accept radioactive waste after reprocessing in Russia. However, the parameters of the waste subject to return are currently unknown, and so are the conditions for doing so, Malinov said.

The caretaker energy minister added that the specific volumes and characteristics of spent nuclear fuel after reprocessing should be determined on the basis of a future methodology for determining quantities and characteristics for the return, agreed between the two countries and consistent with international practice. The methodology should be agreed upon within ten years, before the physical return of this waste. For its intermediate storage in the medium term an appropriate repository should be built on the Kozloduy NPP site, and a sustainable long-term solution should be sought for their disposal. A key requirement for Bulgaria, according to a directive of Euratom, is to prepare a plan for the construction of such a repository with clear deadlines and milestones for implementation.

In 2022, a working group at the Energy Ministry developed a draft updated Strategy for the Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste. The draft has been subject to public access and public consultations not only in Bulgaria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Romania, Serbia, Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia, as well as in Austria. Cross-border consultations have also taken place. The results and opinions from all consultations are presented in the updated version of the draft strategy from January 2024, Malinov explained.

The indicative plan-schedule in the draft updated strategy is the construction of a deep geological disposal facility by 2050, Malinov said. He noted that without a plan with detailed steps for commissioning by 2050 of facilities for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, any proposal for construction of a new nuclear power plant cannot be recognized as sustainable in an investment project, according to several European documents.

Informing the public and local authorities, preparing investment proposals, as well as conducting an environmental impact assessment are part of the activities that are to be implemented by 2033, the draft updated strategy reads. Their implementation would start if the Council of Ministers adopts
 a decision on the construction of a deep geological repository to store nuclear waste, explained the caretaker Energy Minister.