Valentin Nikolov, the newly appointed CEO of the Kozloduy NPP, has said that the plant is in top condition. Photo by BGNES
The reactor that is being built for the Belene NPP is 80% ready, according to Valentin Nikolov, the new director of the Kozloduy.
Under current plans, the facility is to be moved from the Belene NPP, which will not be built, to the Kozloduy NPP as a seventh unit.
In a Thursday interview for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Nikolov stressed the importance of absolute transparency in the operations of the Kozloduy NPP and vowed not to make single-handed decisions and work as part of a team.
He explained he would not interfere in the work of the engineers and that he would propose Alexander Nikolov, former director of the Kozloduy NPP, for the post of a technical director.
Nikolov went on to remind that a program for extending the life of units 5 and 6 at the Kozloduy NPP was to be submitted with the Nuclear Regulatory Agency in four years' time, so as not to miss the deadline for the license issuance.
In another interview for Darik radio, the new head of the Kozloduy NPP and former Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism explained that power prices could not be reduced at the moment but could only be kept at their current rates through certain measures.
"Reducing prices for end consumers is a pretty ambitious goal. I couldn't commit myself to it. Prices are set by the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR). The only way to keep the price adequate and prevent further increases is to build new capacities - Unit 7 of the Kozloduy NPP, two new units at the Maritsa Iztok-2 Thermal Power Plant and eventually, gas, that could reduce prices of natural gas in the country," Nikolov declared.
He was adamant that the Kozloduy NPP was in excellent condition, adding that "one has to be an extraordinarily bad manager to run the Kozloduy NPP in a way which worsens its financial condition."
Nikolov explained that he had been appointed to speed up the processes surrounding the extension of the life of units 5 and 6 at the Kozloduy NPP and the construction of unit 7.