Bulgaria has officially canceled its plan to sell two unfinished nuclear reactors from the Belene plant to Ukraine, announced the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov. According to him, this decision was supported by all political forces in the government and has already been approved at the highest level.
This is reported by Київ24
Earlier in the summer of 2023, the Bulgarian parliament approved the decision to sell the reactors. At that time, the votes in favor of the sale came from political forces such as GERB, PP-DB, “There Is Such a People” (ITN), and an informal part of the DPS. However, the pro-Russian parties “Revival” and the Bulgarian Socialist Party opposed it. Importantly, the latter is currently part of the government and changed its position on the issue after discussions.
Negotiations and Strategic Decisions in the Energy Sector
Zafirov emphasized that he held negotiations with coalition colleagues and personally with GERB leader Boyko Borisov to avoid the sale of the reactors. He noted that there is a willingness to implement the corresponding decision in the form of a resolution from the National Assembly.
Previously, the Ukrainian Parliament approved a law allowing Energoatom to purchase equipment for the third and fourth power units of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant from Bulgaria. Energoatom called this step strategic, as it will strengthen the country’s energy independence and promote the development of nuclear energy.
However, critics of this decision point out that Ukraine plans to buy and build Russian reactors while at war with Russia, and the cost of completing the power units remains unknown. Earlier, Bulgaria granted permission for negotiations regarding the sale of equipment for the nuclear power plant, specifically proposing to sell unused equipment from the Belene plant for no less than 600 million euros.
Currently, the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant has two reactors: the first was built in 1987, and the second was constructed in 2004, after Ukraine gained independence. Each has a capacity of 1000 megawatts, totaling 2000 megawatts.