site.btaUPDATED Electricity System in Very Good Condition, Outgoing PM Denkov Says

At the moment, Bulgaria's electricity system is in a very good condition, outgoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said on Thursday, answering a reporter’s question regarding claims made by Electricity System Operator (ESO) Executive Director Angelin Tsachev that the system is unbalanced and increasingly difficult to manage.

Denkov noted that there are difficulties with developing renewable energy sources (RES), as well as with the Chaira Hydro Power Plant (HPP) which is not yet operational, but work is underway to address these issues. "This is not something we should scare people with. Rather, these are tasks that we need to work on because we expect more renewable energy plants to connect [to the electricity system]. Their capacity has grown very quickly, and this requires appropriate technical solutions," Denkov explained.

Denkov, outgoing Energy Minister Rumen Radev and outgoing Education and Science Minister Galin Tzokov visited the Igor Kurchatov Vocational School of Nuclear Energy in Kozloduy, as well as the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Denkov and Radev also conferred with the NPP’s management.

Denkov recalled that the repair of the Belmeken HPP has been completed and the plant is now operational. The generators of the Chaira HPP will be started up one by one. One is expected to be operational by end-2024 and the second - by end-2025. Parallel work is being done on the others.

Outgoing Energy Minister Radev commented that balancing the electricity system is a challenge because of the increasing number of renewable energy capacities. According to him, ESO Director Tsachev is most likely talking about the system’s frequency regulation as an issue. "Yes, this challenge is being met," Radev said. He pointed out that four of the units at the Maritsa East 2 Thermal Power Plant (TPP) are currently operating, as well as two of those at the AES-3C Maritsa Iztok 1 TPP. At the Contour Global Maritsa Iztok 3 TPP, a refurbishment programme has commenced, and the plant is currently not operational. The state is coping with the operating plants it has at the moment, Radev added.

Meanwhile, Denkov and Kozloduy NPP Executive Director Valentin Nikolov commented that there are no problems with the licensing of the Westinghouse fuel to be used at Kozloduy NPP. On 22 December 2022, the Kozloduy N-plant and Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB signed an agreement for the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for Kozloduy's Unit 5. It is expected to refuel in mid-2024.

"We are waiting for the fuel to arrive on site, and we will help ESO by starting a planned annual maintenance and putting the first fuel to diversify the fuel elements," Nikolov said, adding that it will happen as planned.

Commenting on the progress on the construction project of the seventh reactor unit of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP), Radev said everything is going on schedule. The first engineering phase has begun, he said. Answering a BTA question on whether the terms and conditions set by Parliament to Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co, Ltd. (the only candidate to construct and commission Kozloduy NPP’s Units 7 and 8) are realistic, the outgoing Energy Minister said the terms are tight but possible. Radev expressed confidence that the negotiations with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co, Ltd. will be successful.