Parliament Gives Green Light to Talks with Hyundai on Construction of New N-plant Units

UPDATED Parliament Gives Green Light to Talks with Hyundai on Construction of New N-plant Units

BTA Photo

Sofia,

23.02.2024 13:35 | UPDATED 23.02.2024 13:53

(BTA)

Parliament Friday gave the green light to talks between Kozloduy NPP – New Builds and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. shortlisted as a potential contractor for engineering, design, delivery and commissioning of new N-plant units on the site of the existing Kozloduy N-plant. The deadline for the talks was set at April 15.

The future N-plant units will use the AP1000 technology of Westinghouse. On February 16, it transpired that Hyundai Engineering & Construction) remained the only candidate for the construction and commissioning of Units 7 and 8 at Kozloduy after a committee reviewed the applicants' documents to ensure they meet all requirements.

The draft decision was moved by Delyan Dobrev (GERB-UDF) and Stanislav Anastassov (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) after it was backed by the parliamentary committees on energy and on environment.

The MPs first rejected the motion for the talks with Hyundai but it went through in a re-vote, on the votes of GERB, the MRF and There Is Such a People (TISP). Just one vote tipped the result in favour of the decision.

In a 52-161 vote with 8 abstentions, Parliament rejected a motion by MPs of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) asking Parliament to approve talks with two potential contractors: Hyundai and Bechtel. It was over their wish to have two potential contractors that CC-DB refused to support a motion for considering the Kozloduy talks draft decision on Thursday.

CC-DB co-floor leader Kiril Petkov commented in the corridors of Parliament said that what he referred ironically as "nuclear energy experts" in plenary "apparently decided that a single company can build the new capacity". "The Energy Minister said in a report that at least two companies should be shortlisted and there was a draft resolution to this effect, but GERB, the MRF and TISP decided that just one company can build the project," he said. In his words, this poses a huge risk that the best price will not be achieved and all Bulgarians will pay through the price of electricity for "the pleasure of having only one runner", which is against the public interest.

Commenting the two draft decisions, Energy Minister Rumen Radev said that whichever company the MPs chose, they won't make a mistake.

/КК/