Demands for new nuclear build in Bulgaria have intensified on the high price of coal-fired electricity and the need to replace the power plants that produce it. Bogomil Manchev, chairman of the Bulgarian Atomic Forum, used a newspaper interview to call on the government to make a plan to build at Belene as well as Kozloduy.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The team assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

NuScale Power of the USA and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant - New Build Plc have agreed to evaluate the suitability of NuScale's small modular reactor technology for deployment at the existing Kozloduy nuclear power plant site in Bulgaria. KNPP-NB is a public limited company established to commission new nuclear power capacity at the site.

A VVER-1000 fuel licensing agreement between Westinghouse Electric Company and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has been described as a major step forward in Bulgaria's energy supply diversification. The agreement covers the development of safety analyses for the licensing and implementation of alternative nuclear fuel for Kozloduy unit 5.

The Bulgarian Council of Ministers, at a meeting on 20 January, approved plans presented by the Minister of Energy to construct a seventh unit at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant using Russian-supplied equipment purchased for the Belene project. The minister noted discussions have been held with Westinghouse of the USA to construct the unit.

Brussels' wish for ​​a relatively rapid decommissioning of the coal-fired power plants of European Union Member States has the potential to create huge imbalances in Bulgaria's electricity system, writes Borislav Boev, a PhD student at D A Tsenov Academy of Economics.

The USA and Bulgaria recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on civil nuclear cooperation. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov noted that nuclear energy is one of the "greenest and cleanest" energies and that is why the country wants to use "safer technology of the latest generation" and to achieve diversification of nuclear fuel.

Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced today it has signed Memoranda of Understanding with France's Framatome and GE Steam Power of the USA to participate in a tender to construct the Belene nuclear power plant in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria has shortlisted five companies to participate in the Belene nuclear power plant project. The applicants included three to be a strategic investor and two to be an equipment supplier.

The USA intends to send a technical team to Bulgaria to explore the possibilities for further cooperation in different areas of energy, including nuclear, President Donald Trump said yesterday in a joint statement issued with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria. The two leaders also expressed support for the licensing and use of US nuclear fuel for Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant.

Bulgaria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency has granted a 10-year extension to the operating licence of unit 6 at the Kozloduy nuclear power unit. The Russian design VVER-1000 in northern Bulgaria started operation in 1991 and can now continue generating electricity until October 2029.

Bulgaria has received 13 applications for participation in the Belene nuclear power project, the country’s energy minister announced today. The applicants included seven to be a strategic investor, four to be an electricity customer and/or minority shareholder, and two to be an equipment supplier.