Belene Nuclear Power Plant: Difference between revisions

The '''Belene Nuclear Power Plant''' ({{lang-bg|Атомна електроцентрала „Белене“}}) is aan plannedabandoned [[nuclear power plant]] 3 km from [[Belene]] and 11 km from [[Svishtov]] in [[Pleven Province]], northern [[Bulgaria]], near the [[Danube River]]. It was intended to substitute four [[VVER]]-440 V230 reactors of the [[Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant]] that were decommissioned as a prerequisite for Bulgaria to join the European Union.

On June 11, 2010, the Bulgarian government announced thatan it wouldindefinite freeze indefinitelyon the planned construction of the Belene nuclear power plant because it was uncertain whenon the investmentduration wouldof bethe returnedreturn on investment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sofiaecho.com/2010/06/11/915612_bulgaria-scraps-bourgas-alexandroupoulis-pipeline-shelves-belene-nuke-pm|title = Kapital Insights - Bulgaria explained}}</ref> Five months later, on December 2, a non-binding [[memorandum of understanding]] was signed between [[NEK EAD]], [[Rosatom]], [[Altran]] and [[Fortum]], setting up a 6.3 bln.billion euro price on the power station, after months of unsuccessful talks on the cost and redeemability of the project itself.<ref>[http://thesofiaecho.com/2010/12/02/1004103_shareholder-memoranda-to-build-bulgarias-belene-nuke-signed Shareholder memoranda to build Bulgaria's Belene nuke signed], The Sofia Echo, 2 December 2010</ref> Further disagreement and the persistent demands of the Bulgarian government to lower the cost under 5.0 billion euro led to the termination of the project in March 2012. However, in late 2012 the opposition initiated a referendum petition which was signed by 1,385,283 people and the first national [[Bulgarian nuclear power referendum, 2013|referendum]] in the history of modern Bulgaria was held on January 27, 2013. A majority of the people had voted ′Yes' to the construction of a new nuclear power plant, but despite that, the number of voters who attended the voting was too low for it to pass. The referendum passed the question further to the Parliament, which decided on 27 February 2013 to suspend it.<ref>[http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148250 Bulgarian Parliament Confirms Decision to Scrap Belene N-Plant], Novinite, 27 February 2013</ref> In June 2018 the Bulgarian Parliament voted to abolish the moratorium on the construction of the power plant and in December 2019 Minister of Energy announced that five companies placed bids and have been selected as prospective strategic investors in the project.<ref name="reuters.com">[https://www.reuters.com/article/bulgaria-nuclear/update-1-bulgaria-invites-russia-china-and-s-korea-to-invest-in-its-nuclear-project-idUSL8N28T3RP Bulgaria invites Russia, China and S. Korea to invest in its nuclear project]</ref>

The negotiations stalled again after the [[GERB]] government decided to add an American or a European contractor to the project, as well as insisting for Atomstroyexport to lower the price to less than five billion euro. As no major European or American investor appeared, the talks continued to yield no results. This led to the official termination of the Belene project in March 2012. A thermal powerplantpower plant using natural gas from the then-planned [[South Stream]] pipeline willwas proposed to be built on the site, andwhile the reactor supplied for Unit 1 willwas foreseen to be assembledbuilt as Unit 7 at the Kozloduy NPP.<ref>[http://novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137961 Bulgaria quits Belene Nuclear Power Plant project], Novinite, 28 March 2012</ref>

AlthoughAfter the projectelection wasin cancelledMay byof parliament,2013 the new Bulgarian Socialist Party government of [[Plamen Oresharski]] (electedSocialist onParty) May 29, 2013)started hasto spokenspeak publicly about restarting the project.

In 2016 discussions took place with [[Rosatom]], the manufacturer of the reactors, about the possibility of installing one of the reactors at [[Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant]] and selling the second one to a third party. An alternative is a privately financed completion of Belene.

Environmental organizations [[Greenpeace]], [[Friends of the Earth]] (Europe), [[Urgewald]], [[Bankwatch]], [[World Information Service on Energy]] and the Bulgarian NGO [[BeleNE!]] oppose the plant's construction, and have expressed the following concerns:<ref>[http://www.bankwatch.org/project.shtml?apc=---g--1&x=2062712 Environmental Organizations condemn European Commission Decision on Bulgarian Reactor] {{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg00229.html |title=Press release of Greenpeace about the Belene project |accessdate=2006-10-31 |language=Romanian }}</ref>

* [http://ime-bg.org/pr_bg/267-3.htm Article about the project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622230756/http://ime-bg.org/pr_bg/267-3.htm |date=2006-06-22 }} {{in lang|bg}}