The Director of the ‘Energy Strategy’ department at the Bulgaria Ministry of Energy, Economy and Tourism, Ivanka Dilovska, has stated that recent changes to EC energy strategy mean Bulgaria must revise its energy targets.

Dilovska, speaking at the “Energy Diplomacy and the EU Integrated Policy for Energy and Climate Change” in Sofia, said “whether and when there will be "Belene NPP" is a matter of interest and investment decision, the state's role is only to determine the place of nuclear energy in the electricity mix in the country.

She continued; “Our strategy is clear - nuclear power is good for the country in terms of the potential we have in this area and the fact that nuclear energy will contribute to reducing carbon emissions. On the other hand... the building new capacity is subject to investment decisions."

Dilovska added that Bulgaria must increase the amount of gas in new contracts with the Russian energy giant Gazprom, after the current ones run out in 2011.

According to her the additional quantities would be needed for the expected increase in the number of domestic consumers of gas in Bulgaria, which are now below 2%. Another reason is the time, which will be needed to build major energy projects.

"I expect that by 2030 about 30% of households in Bulgaria will switch to natural gas and that will at least one plant, which operates entirely from blue fuel will be built.This will increase consumption by 80 % compared to the current consumption," she stated.

Dilovska concluded that with the EC adopting a new energy strategy in 2009 through the Kyoto protocol and the Lisbon Treaty, Bulgaria must also bring in such a strategy to keep in line with EU standards.

Earlier, Bulgaria Foreign Affairs Minister, Rumiana Jeleva, stated that Bulgaria has permission to construct Belene Nuclear Power Plant from the European Commission.

Jeleva, speaking after her participation in the “Energy Diplomacy and the EU Integrated Policy for Energy and Climate Change” conference in Sofia, said that “the one positive thing regarding the existing permission for constructing Belene NPP, is that there is such a thing.

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