Bulgaria's Belene nuclear power plant will not be a solely Bulgarian-Russian project if it is built at all, the country's newly appointed Economy and Energy Minister has declared, echoing PM Boyko Borisov's stance on the issue.

"I know that energy is the most interesting topic and that the Belene NPP is the most vital question," Delyan Dobrev stated on Wednesday after he was officially appointed as Bulgaria's Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism.

Dobrev hinted that Bulgaria's new nuclear reactor that was initially meant for Belene may be placed in the country sole NPP in Kozloduy instead. However, he pointed out that such operation would "take time".

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov recently hinted that the country may install the reactor for the Belene NPP to its sole existing NPP in Kozloduy. He also declared that Belene – if it happens at all – will not be a purely Bulgarian-Russian project.

In October 2011, Bulgaria and Russia reached an agreement to extend the negotiations over Belene nuclear project by another six months as of the beginning of October amidst continuing haggling over its price and feasibility.

On Wednesday, the new Economy Minister reiterated his promise to channel investments of BGN 1 B in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by end-2012.

"We have the capacity to pay BGN 1 B to small and medium enterprises by the end of the year," he said. He explained that the Competitiveness Operational Program will be used for the purpose.

Dobrev further vowed to increase the number of tourists in Bulgaria, as well as tourism revenues.

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