The final shipment of Russian nuclear fuel for Bulgaria’s Kozloduy NPP has been delivered to the plant. The fuel arrived by the motor ferry Slavyanin, flying the Russian flag to the Ferry Complex in Varna. The fuel was transported in four railway containers to the plant site under tight security.
The contract between Bulgaria’s Kozloduy NPP and Rosatom’s fuel company TVEL was terminated early in 2024. The contract was due to end in 2025. During a scheduled maintenance of the plant’s fifth reactor later in the year the unit was reloaded with fuel from the US Westinghouse. The Russian fuel already delivered will now serve as a reserve.
Currently, Kozloduy NPP operates two Soviet-built VVER-1000 reactors (units 5&6), which provide about 34% of Bulgaria’s electricity 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. Kozloduy 5&6 were due to be decommissioned in 2027 and 2029 but have undergone refurbishment and life extension programmes to enable extension of operation from 30 to 60 years. Unit 5 was connected to the grid in 1987 and unit 6 in 1991.
