Documents show that Russian company Atomstroyexort actually owns Bulgarian National Electric Company (NEK) funds for the frozen joint Belene NPP project.

This was claimed Tuesday by Bulgarian Public Financial Inspection Agency's head Temenuzhka Petkova at a sitting of an ad hoc parliamentary committee on the project.

According to Pektova, Atomstroyexport owes Bulgaria at least EUR 44 M, and in addition has to certify with documents it has performed other due payments.

The payments have to do with Atomstroyexport's obligation, taken back in 2007, to buy back old equipment installed at the Belene site, which was not going to be used in furthering the project.

Petkova said that as things stand now, the Russian company directly owes Bulgaria EUR 4 M, and has to buy back additional old equipment worth some EUR 40 M.

This news comes in the wake of repeated claims by the Russian company that Bulgaria has to pay it remuneration for already-built equipment, as well as indemnities for choosing to freeze the project last spring.

Over the summer, Atomstroyexport filed an EUR 1 B claim against NEK at the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, which Bulgarian authorities have seen as unfounded.

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