US Ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick. File photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has already declared that the Belene nuclear power plant will not be constructed, US Ambassador James Warlick pointed out Monday.
Citing a Borisov interview from Friday, Warlick reminded that Finance Minister Simeon Djankov and former Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov were sent to Moscow to declare that Bulgaria is quitting Belene and may place its new Russian reactor in the Kozloduy NPP instead.
The Bulgarian government's latest stance on the issue seems to be that Belene will be either carried out – but not as a solely Bulgarian-Russian project – or the reactor will be indeed placed in Kozloduy.
Warlick praised the work of Traicho Traikov who was axed on Thursday, allegedly because of his stance against Russian energy interests in Bulgaria.
Upon asked about Bulgaria's potential shale gas research, the US Ambassador declared that environmental safety should be the country's top priority. However, he stated that it would be good for Bulgaria to get a clear picture of its natural resources.
"If I were Bulgarian, I would like to know whether there is shale gas," he told bTV, listing Poland, the US and Russia as examples for countries that have already started researching their shale gas potential.