site.btaBulgaria Needs Four Operating Nuclear Reactors, Bulatom Chairman Says

Bulgaria needs four working nuclear reactors, said Bogomil Manchev, Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Atomic Forum Association (Bulatom), organizer of an international conference on Bulgarian nuclear energy. The Forum is held at the Riviera Holiday Club near Varna.

The need for capacity means that in addition to Kozloduy N-plant units 7 and 8, the Belene project should also be considered, Manchev said. He stressed that by 2051, Kozloduy units 5 and 6 will have already been shut down, but in the meantime everything should be done to keep the number of operating reactors at four. According to Manchev, the thermal power plants cannot be relied on, as the private companies that operate some of them will not want to work at prices that do not suit them. Long ago, there should have been reconstructions in this respect, to think about building capacities, leaving part of the state-owned power plants really for spinning reserve, the expert said.

The steel of the two Belene reactors is of extremely high quality and Bulgaria can keep them if it wants for 50 years, Manchev added. When construction of the plant starts, the systems can be upgraded and it will meet all modern standards. Manchev also commented that there is no problem with the implementation of small modular reactors, as some of the large electricity consumers want to do, and in the meantime the expansion of renewable capacities continues. However, the state should make every effort to attract some of the big companies that make data centres and need large amounts of electricity and water, Manchev was adamant. According to him, they could also be investors in the construction of new nuclear capacities in the country. This way they would have guarantees that they will receive energy and Bulgaria will rely on long-term consumers, the expert said.