Lawmakers of Bulgaria's biggest opposition party BSP have called on
Parliament for a reversal of a 2012 decision that brought the Belene Nuclear
Power Plant (NPP) project to an end.
"We extend a hand and put all of our expert potential to work to solve the
problem," the Bulgarian National Radio quotes Bulgarian Socialist Party
(BSP) MP Tasko Ermenkov, who oversees energy issues.
Ermenkov is referring the dilemma facing Bulgaria after an arbitration ruling
that forces it to pay EUR 550 M to Russian company Atomstroyexport over the
suspension of the Belene project. Transferring the sum, it will also receive in
return a nuclear reactor and other equipment produced by Atomstroyexport for
the plant's purposes.
While Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov considers an option to sell the
reactor to a third country, Ermenkov has been skeptical about the prospects.
"The idea [that someone will] buy the equipment is quite exotic, since
this equipment is not a second-hand car that can be sold anywhere."
In Ermenkov's words, the only decision is to "complete Belene NPP with
with a strategic investor, with two prerequisites - understanding reached with
the Russian side and, of course, finding the investor. There is no other
option."
Borisov himself said earlier this week that a renewal of Belene should not be
ruled out if no buyer is found for the reactor. Leading a large governmental
delegation, he was in Iran on Monday and Tuesday, but no concrete agreement was
reached despite the fact that Sofia saw Tehran as one of the most likely
customers as it needs the reactor for the expansion of its Bushehr nuclear
plant
Belene was one of three projects that formed the so-called Grand Energy Slam -
energy infrastructure that Bulgaria agreed to work on with Russia. The other
two were an oil pipeline between the Black Sea port of Burgas and the Greek
city of Alexandoupoli and South Stream, a gas pipeline supplying the Balkans
and Central Europe via Bulgaria.
The former was cancelled in 2011 by the Bulgarian government, and Russia
abandoned South Stream citing opposition from the EU.
(www.novinite.com)