GERB Calls for Unity and Stability in Bulgaria’s Future Governance
GERB unveiled its management program, with party leader Boyko Borisov expressing readiness to negotiate with any party that acknowledges GERB's agenda after the June 9 elections
The Bulgarian Belene NPP will surely be constructed, the Russian Ambassador to the Balkan country, Yuriy Isakov, declared Saturday.
He was positive that the project is safe and financially rational.
"I am 100% sure that Belene NPP will be constructed. The project is beneficial for Bulgaria, Russia and Europe. It will provide clean, cheap and stable energy, that is why I am so enthusiastic. We are absolutely calm," Isakov told the Russian NTV, according to the Bulgarian 24 chasa daily.
The energy the Belene NPP will produce will fully cover the financial investment and it will secure at least EUR 8 B in state budget revenues, Isakov stated. The Nuclear Power Plant will also create 80 000 jobs, the Ambassado pointed out.
Isakov further claimed that the plant's third generation reactors are equipped with an unique system for active and passive safety.
Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of the Russian Rosatom company, has voiced its firm intentions to build the Belene NPP for a fixed price of EUR 6.298 B - stipulated in the Bulgarian-Russian memorandum of understanding signed in November 2010 - or for a base price of EUR 3.997 B plus escalation or inflation costs - stipulated in the intergovernmental agreement signed in January 2008.
According to the "Atomstroyexport" Vice President, the price is the only hurdle for the project, blaming Bulgaria's National Electric Company (NEK) of dragging on in announcing what exactly it is ready to pay.
In March, the Bulgarian centrist-right GERB Cabinet put the fate of the troubled Belene project in the hands of the UK-based bank HSBC, which was selected as a consultant to made a final pronouncement on whether the project will be economically feasible for Bulgaria or not. HSBC, however, is supposed to come up with such an appraisal in a very short time - by June 1, 2011, under the latest Bulgarian-Russian document; what is more, critics say the contract with bank is framed in a way enticing it to declare the project feasible in order to get a large commission.
On Wednesday, the Russian newspaper Komersant reported that Bulgaria faces being taken to arbitration by the Russian contractor Rosatom over the nuclear plant project in Belene as it is likely to miss the July 1 deadline for signing a final agreement for its construction.
Also Wednesday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, announced after the cabinet's meeting that the final decision on Belene will be made by the Parliament.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
During a briefing at the Ministry of Energy, it was revealed that Bulgargaz intends to pursue legal action against Gazprom Export, seeking damages amounting to BGN 400 million
"Toplofikatsia Sofia," the capital's heating supply company, has proposed a significant reduction in the price of thermal energy starting from July 1st
The Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bulgaria is set to embark on a significant transition as it begins the process of replacing Russian nuclear fuel with American fuel from Westinghouse
Bulgargaz, the leading public gas supplier in Bulgaria, anticipates a notable decrease in the price of natural gas for the upcoming month of May. According to Lyudmila Vitanova
Eurostat's latest findings have shed light on the shifting landscape of household energy prices in the European Union, with Bulgaria emerging as a frontrunner in affordability.
The Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) has greenlit the phased transition to a new type of nuclear fuel for Unit 5 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), manufactured by Westinghouse
Sofia Airport's Terminal 3 Construction Set to Begin in Early 2026
COVID-19 Impact: Bulgaria's Grim Milestone as Highest Death Rate in EU