The government has no inten-tion of closing Kozloduy, says deputy-premier Evgeni Bakardzhiev. He told the parliament that following safety upgrades the first four reactors can function at full capacity. He added that the government is ready to guarantee a loan of $300 million for the modernisation and reconstruction of the fifth and sixth reactors. This will include improvement of control systems which is expected to be carried out by Westinghouse. The special programme, implemented last year, guarantees reliable functioning for the first and second reactors until 2005-2006, and for the third and the fourth to 2010-2012, the deputy-premier underscored.
Two of three key contracts for the four-year modernisation of units 5 and 6 have been let and work is expected to start this year.
A contract for supervision of the work has been awarded to a consortium led by Spain’s Empresarios Agrupados and including the UK’s Magnox Electric. This is to be funded by the EU’s Phare programme. The first of two preliminary engineering contracts to prepare for the work has gone to Westinghouse to prepare specifications for I&C equipment. The second contract, expected to go to a Siemens-Framatome-Atomenergoexport consortium, is expected to be signed soon. The consortium has at least 85% of financing promised. Almost all of the Siemens-Framatome part of the contribution is expected to be covered by Euratom loans.
