The EU plans to disburse a further 260 million euro ($352.2 million) in assistance to Bulgaria until 2020 to support the decommissioning of nuclear power plant (NPP) Kozloduy's old reactors, the EUobserver reported.
According to a draft budget for the coming seven years tabled at the EU summit on Friday, the closure of the three nuclear power plants in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia will continue to be funded by 2020, as Lithuania will receive extra 400 million euro for Ignalina plant and Slovakia's Bohunice plant will be granted an additional 200 million euro, the EUobserver said.
Last month, the EU Court of Auditors estimated a funding gap of 2.5 billion euro for the nuclear decommissioning programme in the three countries and commented that even if the Union assists with another 553 million euro until 2020, a funding gap of 2.0 billion euro will still remain.
The EU's Budgetary Control Committee urged the three countries to establish decommissioning plans, including detailed budgets, explaining how the closure of the nuclear power plants will be funded. EU aid for decommission under the budget by end-2013 is estimated at 2.85 billion euro, of which some 868 million euro is earmarked for Bulgaria.
In 2007 Bulgaria closed four of its six power units at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, which was one of the conditions for joining the European Union.