Bulgaria changes its mind about selling Russian nuclear reactors to Ukraine

2025: Bulgaria changes its mind about selling Russian nuclear reactors to Ukraine

Reactors manufactured for Belene nuclear power plant (NPP) will not be sold to Ukraine. This was announced on April 15, 2025 by Deputy Prime Minister, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party A. Zafirov at a meeting with journalists at the party's headquarters following a meeting of its executive bureau.

Theses of A. Zifarov:

• the fate of 2 reactors for Belene NPP was discussed in the Joint Management Council established by political associations that formed the ruling majority in the country;
• it was agreed that the reactors would not be sold;
• it is a key asset for Bulgaria, part of its energy security and economic independence;
• nuclear power is a reliable, cost-effective and predictable source of energy;
• Bulgaria has the infrastructure and experience to develop nuclear power within the country;
• selling reactors would be a serious mistake;
• if parliament considers the situation with reactors, then it is ready to personally support the current decision by voting in the National Assembly.

All power units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants are designed for the use of fuel assemblies (FA), which are produced by the Russian company TVEL. However, in March 2022, Energoatom announced a complete refusal to purchase Russian nuclear fuel and its intention to replace it with assemblies of the American Westinghouse.

Westinghouse rapidly confirmed that VVER-1000-type reactors, which are planned to be bought from Bulgaria and installed at power units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant, will be able to operate at the American nuclear power plant. Already in the fall of 2023, the intention to sell power units and related equipment to Ukraine was confirmed by N. Denkov, who was then Prime Minister of Bulgaria. According to him, an independent international company estimated the cost of the equipment, which is planned to be sold, at more than 1 billion euros.

In July 2023, deputies of the Bulgarian People's Assembly (Parliament) decided to instruct the Ministry of Energy to negotiate with the Ukrainian side on the sale of:

• 2 reactors;
• 4 steam generators;
• 4 circulation pumps.

The amount of the transaction should cover the expenses previously incurred by Bulgaria in the amount of 1.2 billion Bulgarian leva (approximately 600 million euros). The negotiations lasted more than a year, and the Ukrainian side expressed dissatisfaction with the overpricing by the Bulgarian negotiators.

According to the contract with the Russian Federation, the Bulgarian side does not have the right to sell reactors purchased in Russia without the consent of Rosatom:

• the sale of equipment and components for nuclear installations to other countries is prohibited and subject to special export control;
• therefore, it is necessary to obtain permission from the manufacturer, in this case from Russia;
• for the sale to be legal, a 3-party agreement between Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine must first be signed.

In July 2023, Energoatom announced that he would not sign an agreement with Russia on the purchase of Russian-made nuclear reactors and other equipment on the nuclear island of the nuclear power plant from Bulgaria. Previously, these obligations to the Russian Federation were not particularly worried about the Bulgarian authorities. But the wind of change blew, the Russian authorities are actively negotiating with the American side on the resumption of relations. As a result, the Bulgarians twitched, not understanding what to do in this situation. The experience of Hungary is also important, which, despite its membership in the EU, continued the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant with Rosatom.

On February 7, 2025, the head of Rosatom A. Likhachev said:

• the purchase of Russian nuclear reactors in Bulgaria would be a salvation for Ukraine's power system, as Ukrainian politicians themselves say;
• called such a situation a good advertisement, despite many attempts by Ukraine to turn away from Russian technologies.

In March 2025, President of Ukraine V. Zelensky signed a law on the purchase of Russian-made reactors in Bulgaria. Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in the second and final reading a bill that allows Energoatom to buy 2 Russian nuclear reactors in Bulgaria in order to complete power units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant. It was assumed that the transaction amount would be approximately $1 billion. USA

2021: Refusal to complete the Belene NPP and plan to create a new reactor at the Kozloduy NPP

In January 2021, it became known that a "hybrid" nuclear reactor would be built in Bulgaria. Sofia decided to abandon the completion of the new Belene nuclear power plant, and use the equipment supplied by Rosatom for the construction of a new reactor at the existing Kozloduy nuclear power plant. This option was proposed by the American Westinghouse, which will sell technologies for the power unit to Bulgaria and will accompany construction.

"In a maximum of 10 years, Bulgaria can get a new nuclear reactor. Today, at a government meeting, we approved the report of the Minister of Energy on the possibility of building a nuclear power unit at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, "Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said on his Facebook page.

The head of government clarified that in 2020 they created a working group of experts and in their report they supported the construction of a power unit using equipment that Rosatom had already supplied for the completion of another nuclear power plant, Belene. Its cost is estimated at $800 million.

The head of the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy herself said that the construction of a 1,000 MW reactor at the Kozloduy NPP using Russian equipment was recommended, among other things, by American experts from Westinghouse.

"During the negotiations, they said that they did not plan to offer their reactor AP-1000 Bulgaria, but would support the idea of ​ ​ using equipment that was supplied as part of the Belene project," Temenuzhka Petkova said at a government meeting. She added that Westinghouse will carry out the project with the existing equipment and, for example, will provide^[1] systems^[2].

Two existing Soviet reactors of the Kozloduy NPP with a total capacity of 2,000 MW provide 30% of Bulgaria's electricity needs. In 2008, the Rosatom division, Atomstroyexport, began building a new nuclear power plant in the country - Belene. However, in 2012, under pressure from Washington and Brussels, the project was stopped, and Sofia had to pay more than 600 million euros for the work already carried out and the equipment supplied. In 2018, the parliament ordered the Ministry of Energy to find strategic investors to complete Belene, and a tender was announced, which Sofia has not yet officially refused.

"Kozloduy has many advantages, since this is a live mastered site, while on Belen a lot will have to be created literally from scratch. Discussions about where to build new blocks (Belene or Kozloduy) have been going on in Bulgaria for many years, and one site or another becomes the favorite. Now we see that the choice is again leaning in favor of Kozloduy. So it was already a few years ago, then they started talking about Belen again, now it's about Kozloduy again, "says Alexander Uvarov, director of the autonomous non-profit organization to support the development of atomic science, technology and education at AtomInfo-Center. In his opinion, Bulgaria needs to decide on what it wants and not retreat from the choice made: "Otherwise, there is a danger that they will not build anything new at all."

2018: World Nuclear Association urges Bulgaria to build Belene nuclear power plant

Bulgaria must build a new nuclear plant to meet the country's electricity needs, said World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising, speaking in Bulgaria's parliament on January 25, 2018, WNN news agency reported.

Rising noted the importance of applying low-hydrocarbon power, as well as Bulgaria's long-standing experience in using nuclear energy. The head of the World Nuclear Association called on the government to give the country's development a new impetus:

time has come for Bulgaria to take the initiative and decisively take up a new nuclear construction program^[3] to^[3].

Rising also noted that the new nuclear power plant will bring huge benefits to the country for the economy and the environment, as well as support hundreds of highly qualified jobs.

At the beginning of 2018, about 35% of electricity in Bulgaria is generated at the Kozloduy NPP, built by the USSR. The plant consists of six nuclear units, four of which were stopped in 2002 and 2006, as a condition for joining the European Union.

In January 2018, Russia shipped Bulgaria manufactured equipment, and in May of the same year, Bulgaria decided to resume construction, but it did not come to the implementation of the project.

2017: Resumption of dialogue with Rosatom

At the end of 2017, Bulgaria instructed the Academy of Sciences to analyze possible options for action on the Belene nuclear power plant, and the academy established that the completion of the plant could be beneficial for the country, under certain conditions. In parallel, a dialogue arose between Russia and Bulgaria on the possible continuation of construction. And in early January 2018, part of the heavy equipment arrived in Bulgaria, which will be at the Belene NPP site to wait for the government's decision on the fate of the plant. In such conditions, continued cooperation with Russia is becoming more and more likely.

2016: Bulgaria's National Electric Company (NEC) pays $601.6 million debt to Russia

In 2016, the Arbitration Court at the International Chamber of Commerce in Geneva upheld Atomstroyexport's claims for compensation for damage, and in December of the same year, the National Electric Company of Bulgaria (NEC) paid Russia a debt of $601.6 million. Belene Nuclear Power Plant USA.

2012: Transfer of Westinghouse contract, payment of fine to Rosatom, project freeze

In 2012, the Bulgarian government decided to terminate the contract with Russia for the construction of the station. At the same time, Bulgaria announced a new competition for the construction of a nuclear power plant, the winner of which was the American company Westinghouse. However, this station was not built either, as Westinghouse refused to provide investment for the project. As a result, Bulgaria was left without a station and paid a fine to Rosatom, despite the fact that the first set of equipment had already been manufactured.

2010: Bulgarian government change and work stoppage

In 2009, the government changed in Bulgaria and in 2010 construction work was suspended.

2006: Signing a contract with Rosatom for the construction of the station

In 2005, Bulgaria held a competition for the construction of two power units of the new Belene nuclear power plant, the winner of which was Rosatom, and at the end of 2006 a contract was signed for the construction of the station.

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