There is a risk of the European Commission asking Bulgaria to return the sum of EUR 12 M used for the expansion of the Dry Spent Fuel Storage Facility (DSFSF), according to Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

Petkova met Monday with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), according to the press office of Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry.

Petkova emphasized that Bulgarian authorities had to prove the necessity of the DSFSF or else face the loss of EUR 12 M.

The European Court of Auditors is to inspect how Bulgaria is coping with the implementation of the projects financed by the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF) through which the EU compensates Bulgaria for the early closure of units Units 1 - 4 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

The KIDSF is administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Bulgaria’s EU Accession treaty envisaged a total of EUR 550 M from the EBRD for the period 2001-2009.

Over the next four years, by 2013, Bulgaria was allocated an additional sum of EUR 300 M for projects related to the decommissioning of the N-plant units, as well as measures aimed at the restructuring of the energy sector and achieving energy efficiency.

In the new programming period by 2020, Bulgaria will receive EUR 283 M under the KIDSF.

The sum will go to decommissioning measures only.

During Monday’s meeting, Petkova discussed with the EBRD representatives a plasma melting facility project which would also use KIDSF financing.

She explained that a total of BGN 4 M in national co-financing had already been provided for the project.

During the meeting, Petkova assured the EBRD representatives that the construction of gas grid interconnections with neighboring countries was a priority task for Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry.

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