Four pro-nuclear organizations have come up with a declaration against the suspension of the Belene NPP project and the transfer of the assembled Russian reactor to the Kozloduy NPP.

The Bulgarian Atomic Forum (Bulatom), the Bulgarian Nuclear Society, the Committee for Protection of Belene and the Women in Nuclear association sent Tuesday a declaration to President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Parliament Chair Tsetska Tsacheva, insisting on holding a broad public discussion of the impact of the decision to terminate the N-plant project.

According to the statement, the decision to install the reactor earmarked for the Belene NPP on the site of the Kozloduy NPP contradicts the latest concepts of nuclear safety and will use up way more money.

The four groups argue that the breakdown of the reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi's nuclear plant in Japan led to the conclusion that the concentration of too much nuclear generating capacity on one site must be avoided, especially if there are repositories for spent nuclear fuel there.

The experts claim that the existence of already built infrastructure at the Kozloduy NPP plant is a disadvantage rather than an advantage, stressing that "the construction of a new house in the place of an old one is always costlier. What is more, some of the facilities for the new unit must be built from scratch."

"The site of the Belene NPP project has already been tested and licensed, while the Kozloduy NPP site will have to undergo thorough testing and secure a license anew," the statement reads.

In the words of the experts, yet another reason for backing the construction of the Belene NPP is the fact that the source of energy will be moved closer to the main industrial capacities in the north-western region and the losses along the transmission chain from the Kozloduy NPP will be eliminated.

The defenders of the Belene N-plant project insist that it will reduce the workload of the staff involved in repair works due to the availability of qualified workers from other companies based in the region.

"If the Belene NPP project involved legal breaches and unfounded expenditures, the ones guilty for that must be held accountable, but the project must not be burdened with such drawbacks," the experts insist.

The four organizations note that the Belene NPP would provide the necessary energy grid update and would help Bulgaria fulfill its commitments towards the EU for reducing sulphur and greenhouse gas emissions.

The declaration reminds that two feasibility assessments have already been drafted for the Belene NPP project by leading international companies, with both analyses confirming the technical and economic viability of the project.

The specialists suggest that the benefits of the Belene N-plant project will be certified for the third time by UK consultant HSBC.

The statement underscores that the Belene NPP project has been certified as a third generation project, not a 2+ generation project, as suggested by former Energy and Economy Minister Traicho Traikov and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

The four groups call in conclusion for staging a public discussion of the economic and environmental impact of the cancellation of the Belene NPP project.