By Kakia Papadopoulou
The bickering between Bulgaria and the European Union has started over the closure of the two aging reactors in the Kozlodui nuclear plant as of Dec. 31, an EU -requirement for Bulgaria’s entry in the bloc on Jan 1.
Last week, Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov warned the EU that power problems will start rising in the Balkans, as Bulgaria, the biggest electricity explorer in the region, will be coerced to slash electricity exports, following the closure of Kozlodui.
However, the European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs rejected Bulgaria’s concerns, saying “The closure of the power station was well-known for a long-time and it’s a commitment from Bulgaria itself. So we shouldn’t go back to the issue,” Piebalgs told reporters.
Bulgaria which has been covering between 50% and 100% of the electricity deficit in the Balkan countries that they need to import electricity, has limited its electricity exports by a third recently, not because of Kozlodui but after experiencing problems with the supply of the Ukrainian coal used in its thermal power plants.
The chief executive officer of the state-run electricity provider NEK Lyubimir Velkov has said last week, without elaborating further that a Ukrainian decision to stop coal exports and to block Russian coal exports through its territory was behind the export deficit
Despite Sofia’s pressure on the EU to keep Kozlodui at least for some time, the EU is clear on the irreversible closure of the two reactors.
“Definitely there is some work to be done to produce more power (in the region) but still there will not be blackouts. So it is enough power generation.” Piebgals said.
Ovcharov said he would warn Piebgals in a letter about the potential power problems Bulgaria’s neighbors will face.
Bulgaria exports some 7 million megawatt-hour of electricity per year.