Bulgaria launched on Tuesday a safety check at its sole nuclear power plant in preparation for a European Union stress test called for by the nuclear crisis in Japan.
The European Union energy ministers have agreed to launch a review of the safety of nuclear facilities through a comprehensive risk and safety assessment, or a stress test, of the EU's reactors in order to look at the risks and the safety issues in the light of radiation leaks from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant damaged by a devastating earthquake earlier this month.
"[...] Bulgaria is starting a preparation for the implementation of the so-called stress test of the nuclear power plant in Kozloduy," the government said in a statement.
The safety check will assess the seismic and flooding risks for the Kozloduy plant, on the Danube river, the technical design and arrangements of backup systems, the age of the facility, the type of nuclear reactor, emergency procedures and risk of terrorist attacks, the statement added.