Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has signed an agreement with US-based Westinghouse Electric to conduct a safety analysis for the licensing of an alternative nuclear fuel type for the plant’s Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactor at unit 6. Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry said the agreement ensures fuel diversification for unit 6 and follows Westinghouse’s delivery of the first reload of VVER-1000 fuel assemblies for Kozloduy’s unit 5 earlier in 2024.
The licensing of the alternative fuel type for unit 6 will meet the requirements of Bulgaria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency. In December 2022, Kozloduy also signed an agreement with France’s Framatome for the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for unit 6, completing the necessary steps to diversify away from Russian fuel supplier TVEL.
In November 2024, project company Kozloduy NPP-New Build and a consortium comprising Westinghouse Electric and South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) signed an engineering contract for the construction of two new units at Kozloduy NPP. While the units are to have Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, Westinghouse will not take part in the construction but will retain overall control of the project. Hyundai E&C was shortlisted for the EPC contract, which was signed earlier in November.
Currently, Kozloduy NPP operates two Soviet-built VVER-1000 reactors (units 5&6) that were connected to the grid in 1987 and 1991. Bulgaria was obliged to close four older VVER-440 units as a condition for accession to the European Union, even though the units had undergone significant safety upgrades. According to the schedule, Kozloduy unit 7 should be operational in 2035 followed by unit 8 two years later.
“The signing of the contract with Westinghouse marks a new key step in our consistent efforts to diversify nuclear fuel supplies for the Kozloduy NPP,” said Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov. “Thanks to the fruitful cooperation with our American partners, we have achieved tremendous progress in our common goal – to make Bulgaria’s energy sector independent.”
In November 2022 Bulgaria’s National Assembly voted to accelerate the process of securing an alternative to Russia as supplier of nuclear fuel for the VVER-1000 units. Kozloduy NPP then signed a 10-year contract with Westinghouse to fabricate and deliver VVER-1000 nuclear fuel for Kozloduy unit 5 from Westinghouse’s fabrication site in Västerås, Sweden. The first fuel supplied under that contract was loaded into the reactor in 2024.
