site.btaUPDATED Nuclear Regulatory Agency Chair: Bulgaria Can Store Spent Nuclear Fuel at Least till 2032

Spent nuclear fuel could be stored in Bulgaria at least until 2032, as the country has sufficient space for this purpose, Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) Chair Tsanko Bachiyski said during a journalist seminar that took place on October 3 and 4.

The NRA specified that the term for dry storage of spent nuclear fuel is 50 years. The storage under water depends on the capacity of the facility. "We can safely hold our fuel for many years, creating conditions for safe storage," Bachiyski added. He was adamant that there is enough time to resolve the matter of the fuel's final disposal.

The Agency said that every Eastern European country stores its spent nuclear fuel the same way as Bulgaria. This issue is yet to be resolved definitively around the world. Finland and Sweden are the only countries where sites have been selected for the storage of vitrified high-level waste in deep geological repositories.

Bachiyski reported that the matter of storing low- and intermediate-level waste in Bulgaria can be considered resolved. The will take place at the Radiana site on the premises of Kozloduy NPP. The site may be licenced to operate as soon as next year.

The head of the NRA said that until now the spent nuclear fuel from Kozloduy NPP had been sent to Russia for reprocessing. After reprocessing, high-level waste should be returned to Bulgaria for disposal. Such waste has not yet been returned, as the country should within the next decade draft a methodology to determine the exact amount and kind of waste to be returned. The drafting has been delayed due to the local geopolitical situation. Bulgaria last shipped 192 spent nuclear fuel cartridges to Russia in 2022.

Bachiyski reported that there were no problems or deviations from the norms after the loading of the fresh nuclear fuel of the US company Westinghouse in Kozloduy NPP's fifth unit. He added that after the unit is shut down for scheduled repairs in April 2025, experts will verify its condition, however, no problems are expected, as indicators so far point to the fuel working fine.