Bulgaria's energy minister said the government
is proposing to US-based Westinghouse, controlled by Japan's Toshiba Group, to
acquire a 49% stake in a planned 1,000 MW unit at the country's sole nuclear
power plant (NPP) Kozloduy, local media reported on Thursday.
The
Bulgarian government signed last year with Westinghouse a shareholder agreement
for the construction of the new Kozloduy unit, under which the US company would
provide all of the plant's equipment, design, engineering and fuel and will
issue a competitive tender for the construction of the unit.
By becoming
a strategic investor the project, Westinghouse will also ensure 49% of the
financing needed for the NPP unit's construction, online portal Investor.bg
quoted Temenuzhka Petkova as saying.
Petkova also said that the
exclusivity of the agreement signed with Westinghouse is due to expire on March
31. However, negotiations with the US company regarding the project will
continue after that, as well.
The Kozloduy NPP was left with two
operational reactors of 1,000 MW each after the country closed down four units
of 440 MW each to address nuclear safety concerns expressed by the European
Union prior to Bulgaria's accession to the bloc in 2007. Bulgaria plans
extension of the lifespan of the 1,000 MW units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy
NPP.
In April 2012, the government in Sofia decided to add another 1,000
MW unit to the plant, a project that is currently taking shape. US-based
Westinghouse, controlled by Japan's Toshiba Group, said in August last year a
shareholder agreement following consultations with all Bulgarian political
parties for the construction of a new unit at the NPP. The AP1000 reactor is
projected to be online by 2023.