Minister Malinov and Assistant Secretary of State Ambassador O'Brien reaffirmed the strategic cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States
On the last day of his visit to Washington, Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov held key meetings at the U.S. State Department. Despite the extremely busy agenda of Ambassador James O'Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. State Department, he met with Minister Malinov. They discussed progress on both sides' priority projects to build new nuclear capacities at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant and the Vertical Gas Corridor. Malinov and Assistant Secretary of State O'Brien emphasized their mutual commitment to continue and deepen cooperation in all energy sectors. They expressed hope that following the upcoming elections in Bulgaria, political parties with Euro-Atlantic values would outline common priorities for establishing a stable governing majority with a long-term vision of Bulgaria's development and its establishment as a leading player in the region.
“The Bulgarian side has taken all necessary steps to implement the Vertical Gas Corridor initiative in a timely manner. Its main advantage is that it will make maximum use of the existing gas transmission infrastructure,” Malinov noted at the meeting with Ambassador James O'Brien. They also discussed steps taken to diversify nuclear energy in Bulgaria, as well as the future of small modular reactors. The progress made on the project to build units 7 and 8 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant site was reported. Both agreed that Bulgaria would rely on the experience of our U.S. partners to maintain the cybersecurity of strategic energy sector sites.
Within his visit to Washington, Minister Vladimir Malinov also had a meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. State Department Kimberly Harrington. “We are confident that with consistent institutional and legislative support, the Vertical Gas Corridor will be built as soon as possible, guaranteeing the region's energy security and allowing continued use of Ukrainian gas infrastructure after the suspension of Russian natural gas transit as of the beginning of 2025,” Minister Malinov underscored. Assistant Secretary Harrington reaffirmed the support of the United States of America for the Vertical Corridor as a strategic route for the supply of LNG from the U.S.A. to the entire South- East Europe.
Minister Malinov and Deputy Assistant Secretary Harrington emphasized the excellent co-operation between the Bulgarian side and the U.S. Company Westinghouse, which will continue during the construction of new nuclear capacities at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant site.“ Real diversification of nuclear fuel is already a fact for NPP Kozloduy, where the first U.S. fuel cartridges will be loaded next week,” Malinov underlined.
