The European Commission is expected to propose on Tuesday the allotment of EUR 300 M in additional compensations for the closure of four Soviet-designed reactors at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant.
Over the last ten years Bulgaria has received a total of EUR 550 M in compensation for the closure of four units at Kozloduy that had been deemed unsafe, but the government hopes to receive EUR 300 M more under Europe's recovery plan.
The money will be accessible by 2013 and is allocated for improving the energy efficiency and the dismantling of the old reactors.
The aid would have to be approved by the EU's 27 governments and the European Parliament, which might not be easy considering constraints in the EU budget resulting from the economic crisis.
The exact amount of the compensations will be decided on at the December meeting of the member states leaders.
Bulgaria's previous Socialist-led government first called for additional money a year ago and went as far as to ask Brussels to compensate the country for the double blow of the gas crisis and the global economic slowdown by allowing a restart of the units.
The European Commission however has been adamant that a relaunch of the Soviet-era reactors at Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant is out of the question.