Winter Tourism: 1.8 Million Visit Bulgaria
Bulgaria has witnessed a bustling winter tourism season, with a total of 1.8 million tourists gracing its picturesque landscapes from December 1 to March 25
Bulgaria's government approved Wednesday plans to add a new reactor at its Soviet-era nuclear power plant at Kozloduy, effectively ditching another project to build a new plant at Belene.
At its weekly session the cabinet backed "the building of unit 7 at Kozloduy with the available equipment from the project for the Belene nuclear power plant," the government press service said in a statement.
The decision followed energy ministry talks with the US nuclear engineering company Westinghouse for a hybrid solution for a new unit at Kozloduy with US technology that would make the maximum use of Russian equipment which Bulgaria has already purchased for Belene.
Neither the cabinet nor the energy ministry provided details about the estimated cost of the project but expressed hopes that the new reactor can become operational in 10 years' time.
The Kozloduy plant in northern Bulgaria currently operates two Soviet-built 1,000-megawatt units after shutting four smaller ones for safety reasons to secure the country's EU accession in 2007.
The plant supplies one-third of the country's electricity and the government recently extended the two reactors' lifespans until 2027 and 2029.
To compensate for Kozloduy's partial closure, Bulgaria had long been looking into options to build a second twin-reactor plant at Belene, also in the north.
It had already ditched the project once in 2012, scrapping a deal with Russia's nuclear company Atomstroyexport while ending up with equipment that included two 1,000-megawatt reactors for the new plant.
Some nuclear experts had also questioned the viability of a project as large as Belene because neither Bulgaria nor its neighbours are expected to need new energy sources before 2035.
Bulgaria has recently come under US and EU pressure to limit its huge energy dependence on Russia.
The US nuclear industry has shown interest in the region recently, with AECom vying to finance two more reactors at Romania's only nuclear plant at Cerna Voda, which lies near the border with Bulgaria.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
The Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) has greenlit the phased transition to a new type of nuclear fuel for Unit 5 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), manufactured by Westinghouse
In a bid to enhance its energy security and diversify its gas supply sources, Bulgargaz is gearing up for the first deliveries of liquefied gas through the Alexandroupolis terminal, set to commence in May
The Greek national electricity company, PPC, has announced plans to acquire 500 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity in Bulgaria
Oil prices have surged due to renewed concerns about the Middle East conflict. Brent crude futures increased by 0.32% to 90.80 USD per barrel, while American WTI crude rose by 0.3% to 86.50 USD per barrel
Bulgaria's state-owned energy company, "Bulgargaz," has suffered a significant setback, losing 27% of its market share as a result of a contract with the Turkish company "Botas"
A remarkable shift in Bulgaria's energy landscape has been unveiled in the latest report from the Commission for Energy and Water Regulation, submitted to the Bulgarian parliament
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022