Brussels, 01/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Barely a month after Bulgaria's entry into the Union, the dossier on reactors 3 and 4 at the Kozloduy nuclear plant, which Sofia agreed to close on 31 December (in an effort to secure its accession) has resurfaced. According to several press agencies, the Bulgarian minister of the economy, Rumen Oycharov, affirmed last Friday that he would be asking the Commission's permission to restart the nuclear reactors in order to satisfy energy demand in the Balkans. Asked about this subject on Tuesday, European Commissioner for Energy, Andris Piebalgs, rejected the possibility of allowing Sofia to restart units 3 and 4 at Kozloduy. Piebalgs insisted that, “There was a legal obligation to close down the reactors for safety reasons…To come back to the issue now is like driving down a one-way street in the opposite direction”.
In an interview with EUROPE, a Bulgarian source at the Community denied that Sofia had requested the reopening of units 3 and 4 at Kozloduy. “This question is open to a number of interpretations. It has reoccurred, in particular, in the Bulgarian press…There is no question of reopening reactors 3 and 4 at Kozloduy. The question is, rather, one of energy supply resulting from the decision to close these reactors. We are not tackling the energy deficit in Bulgaria but some countries in the region for which we are ensuring the energy supply, are complaining of shortages”, explained the same source, singling out Albania and Kosovo.
In a letter sent to the commissioner for energy in November, Mr Oycharov warned that closure of the two 440 megawatt nuclear reactors, “could provoke significant changes to electricity supply in the Balkans”. Bulgaria is a major exporter of electricity to the Balkans (7.8 billion kWh in 2006) and has already sharply reduced its exports, following supply problems involving Ukrainian coal in its thermal power stations. Only two of the 1000 MW reactors remain in service in Kozloduy. A new nuclear plant is due to be built at Belene to replace the reactors that have been closed, but is not expected to be up and running until 2013. The source cited above also indicated, “We want more money to open this plant earlier but we are open to any suggestions”. Despite the €570 million obtained in compensation for dismantling units 3 and 4 at Kozloduy, Sofia has estimated that its financial losses incurred due to reduced electricity exports are close to €2.5bn. According to Reuters, Bulgaria will request a doubling in Community compensation. Reaffirming the need for Sofia to respect accession conditions, Mr Piebalgs, nevertheless, did indicate that the Union was prepared to discuss this demand.
Bulgarian President Gueorgui Parvanov provided assurances that he was “ready to take part in the debate on energy security and discuss the basis for a common energy policy” with his counterparts at the European Council. Nonetheless, on Thursday he did inform the European Parliament (see other article) that he deplored the repercussions from the Kozloduy reactor closure. He declared that “the region (the Balkans) is undergoing a significant energy crisis and countries in the region are suffering from electricity cuts”. He indicated that “we are highlighting security, that's why we decided to close reactors 1 and 2 at Kozloduy (in 2002)…On the other hand, before they were closed, reactors 3 and 4 had been largely modernised and were of very high quality”. He asserted that “even the International Atomic Energy Agency recognised that there was no technical barrier to the daily operations of these units”. In practical terms, the Bulgarian president did not call for any revision to the status of reactors 3 and 4 but did call for an “impartial debate”. He also called on his partners to “investigate the serious consequences for the Balkan region” resulting from his country's inability to ensure supply to its neighbours. The question is expected to be raised at the Energy Council on 15 February in which Mr Oycharov will be participating. (eh)