Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2026 All Rights Reserved

Parliament greenlights nuclear project with US technology

АЕЦ Козлодуй
Photo: BTA, archive

With 149 votes in favour, 50 against and three abstentions, Parliament ratified in first reading the agreement between Bulgaria and the United States for cooperation on the project for the construction of nuclear power at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant site and Bulgaria's civil nuclear programme. The opposition parties - Vazrazhdane and the BSP - reacted strongly to the decision. The BSP described it as a servile act that violated all EU principles.

Bulgaria's only nuclear power plant, Kozloduy, currently has two operating Russian-made reactors. In December 2022, Westinghouse signed a 10-year contract to supply fresh nuclear fuel for one of the units from its manufacturing plant in Västerås, Sweden, and deliveries will start in a month's time. 

he Minister of Energy is required to take all steps to make a positive decision on the construction of new AR1000 nuclear power capacity using Westinghouse technology, according to parliamentary decisions in January and December 2023. 

In an interview with BNT, Kozloduy NPP executive director Valentin Nikolov said that the plant's new units - No 7 and No 8 - would cost less than 30 billion leva (15 billion euro), of which 20% would be self-financed and the rest from loans. Westinghouse is expected to announce the price at the end of this month. Unit 7 is expected to be operational in 2034 and unit 8 2-3 years later. No AP1000 units have yet been built in Europe.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

A warning for dangerous rainfall has been issued for 12 regions in Southern Bulgaria

On Friday, the lowest temperatures will be between 4°C and 9°C, reaching up to 12°C in the southeast, around 6°C in Sofia . During the next 24 hours, the weather will remain cloudy. It will rain in almost the entire country. During the day, rainfall..

published on 11/27/25 6:45 PM

Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev released pending trial on €102,258 bond

The Varna District Court has released the city’s mayor, Blagomir Kotsev, on a financial bond of €102,258. Before the court’s decision was announced, supporters of the mayor and members of the We Continue the Change party gathered outside the..

published on 11/27/25 5:37 PM

Three detained and five police officers injured at last night's protest in Sofia

Three people, including an Italian citizen, were arrested during last night's protest against the adoption of the 2026 budget in front of the National Assembly, the director of the Sofia Directorate of Internal Affairs, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir..

published on 11/27/25 3:50 PM