Bulgarian Socialist Leader Promotes Belene NPP in Person

Former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, Sergey Stanishev, is going to personally convince Bulgarians of the benefit to hold a referendum on the Belene Nuclear Power Plant.

The news was reported by the BSP press office Saturday.

Stanishev will tour several districts in the capital Sofia, starting with the square in the suburb of Dragalevtsi and later moving to the subway station in the Mladost 1 district.

The Socialists recently announced they have already collected 500 signatures in support of the scrapped project to build a second NPP in the Danube town of Belene. Stanishev declared Tuesday that the party is sending 160 mobile teams with volunteers to go door to door to collect signatures for the petition for a referendum on Belene. The volunteers will make visits to neighbors, local stores and other facilities.

Last weekend Stanishev visited the Belene site where he delivered a speech blaming current PM Boyko Borisov and the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria GERB party for the demise of the project.

After years of uncertainty and numerous delays, in March 2012, the Borisov Cabinet formally abandoned the project for the construction of a 2000 MW nuclear power plant in the Danube town of Belene, which was supposed to be built by Russian company Atomstroyexport under a contract first signed in 2006 by the Stanishev Cabinet. The reason for dumping the project was technically explained as "economic unfeasibility".