Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has already loaded the first 43 cartridges of an alternative type of fuel produced by the U.S. Westinghouse
Energy security, reliable supplies and safe operation are the advantages our country benefits from after a new type of nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse has already been loaded in Unit 5 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. An official ceremony on the deployment of the alternative fuel was held today on the site of the nuclear power plant, attended by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, the Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov, the U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten and other officials.
Prime Minister Glavchev noted that we are completing a phase of a lengthy process, which started with the first talks with Westinghouse in 2009 and 2010. The Prime Minister identified today as a very important moment in the development of Bulgaria's nuclear energy, as we have achieved a real diversification and a break from the nearly full dependence on Russia. “It's always good to have a choice. That is what diversification provides us with, a choice that offers better opportunities with hundred percent of safety and security,” Glavchev underlined. In his words, the implementation of this project is another step in promoting our country as a predictable partner with a significant role in guaranteeing the energy security of South-East Europe.
“For the first time in its 50-year history, Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant will work with an alternative fuel to implement the Government's overall program and Bulgaria's strategy for diversification and security in the field of nuclear energy,” Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov stressed. He assured the audience that, with the construction of units 7 and 8 of NPP Kozloduy, Bulgaria would continue to pursue consistently its nuclear development objectives. The production of nuclear energy is emission-free, fully in line with the EU Green deal criteria and affordable to consumers. Minister Malinov recalled that in March this year, Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant concluded an agreement with the French company Framatome to provide alternative supplies of fresh nuclear fuel for Unit 6 of the NPP.
