Iliyan Vassilev is former Bulgarian Ambassador in Russia. He was approached by Darik Radio to comment the issue of the new nuclear power plant in Belene and the negotiations with Russia's Gazprom.
Dessislava Zlatkova from Darik News talked to Iliyan Vassilev. *
Q: What do the Belene Nuclear Power Plant and Russia's Gazprom have in common?
A: The common thing is Gazprom Bank, a new policy of hyper concentration of the energy assets in Russia and their subjection to a geostrategic policy conducted by Cremlin. The difference is that some three or four years ago there was a strict division of the people who dealt with nuclear energy, oil, natural gas and electricity. There was an unwritten rule that everyone has own vested interest. But in Putin's new doctrine, Gazprom turned into a hyper-energy company in order to establish a basis for creating the frame for a hyper-energy state. Gazprom has shares in Bulgaria in the Burgas-Alexandripulis Company and in the financing of the construction of the Belene Nuke. I believe a company that is connected in a way to Gazprom will buy some amount of the remaining 49% of the Belene shares.
Q: Do you think European institution will compete for these 49% of the Belene Nuke?
A: I cannot say. The financial scheme is not clear at all. I heard Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov say the building of the new nuke wouldn't cost anything for Bulgarians. I think when this mega company-to-be gets in to serious debt this will surely harm the financial positions of the country. This project is so important because it will have huge impact on revenues, prosperity and economic growth. Belene's Nuke construction is possible only with direct financing from Russia. And it is because when a public structure realizes a project, the country immediately appears on the monitoring screens of the international investments community with a certain level of investment risk possibility.
Q: The closure of units 3 and four of the Kozloduy Nuke will lead to energy deficiency, which is the leading argument for the immediate launch of the project of the Belene Nuke...
A: These disastrous crisis scenarios are used only to influence public opinion. We must accept that soon we will be EU member state. In the Union there are clear directives on energy policies which state Bulgaria must change its structure of energy consumption.
* Translated by Lora Petrova, Sofia News Agency
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