Bulgaria's former President Georgi Parvanov (2002-2012) has expressed his deep disappointment with the fact that his country abandoned the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project.

Bulgaria?s centrist-right GERB government announced on Wednesday it has abandoned plans to build the new, 2000 megawatt nuclear power plant on the Danube River for which it had contracted Russian state firm Atomstroyexport.

On Thursday, Parvanov blamed Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of killing Bulgaria's nuclear energy.

"This is the end of nuclear energy in Bulgaria, unless a new government arrives that would renew the Belene project," he stated. He pointed out that a major project as Belene would have enhanced the economy in both Northwestern Bulgaria and the country as a whole.

The former President also criticized the government's plan to place the reactor initially meant for Belene in the Kozloduy NPP. He reminded that the reactor would not become "less Russian than it is" if it is moved to Kozloduy, referring to Borisov's promise that he will not support the construction of a purely Bulgarian-Russian nuclear power plant while in power.

Belene used to be one of the three major Bulgarian-Russian projects which Parvanov backed while he was in office, his so-called Grand Slam which included the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the South Stream gas pipeline.

Burgas-Alexandroupolis was scrapped by the ruling centrist-right GERB in December 2011.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!