Ukraine may buy two Russian nuclear reactors from Bulgaria – WSJ

Ukrainska Pravda
·2 min read
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Ukraine is close to reaching an agreement with Bulgaria about the purchase of two Russian-made nuclear reactors and other critical energy equipment.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, referring to the officials familiar with the situation, as European Pravda reported

Details: The negotiations concerning the agreement are ongoing. According to the agreement, the Bulgarian state-owned energy company NEK will sell the equipment worth at least €600 million from the unfinished Belene NPP to the Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom.

Since it will be hard for Ukraine to afford this purchase, one of the options discussed by the Bulgarian and American officials is that the US may make its contribution in the form of aid for Ukraine.

Another payment option is also being considered: Bulgaria may receive a minority share in Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi NPP, where the equipment will be installed.

On 6 July, the Bulgarian parliament adopted a decision that obliged the Bulgarian government to hold negotiations with Kyiv about the sale of the plant. WSJ, referring to unnamed sources, reported that the agreement, which had been prepared for several weeks, was kept secret in order to prevent pro-Russian Bulgarian politicians from blocking it.

The works at the Belene NPP have been halted and resumed several times since the 1980s. The Western governments criticised the project due to its technical and commercial faults in connection with being dependent on Russian fuel. Gigawatt aquatic BBEP-1000 reactors were installed at the power plant. The same reactors were also installed at two power units of the Khmelnytskyi NPP, which have been commissioned.

Background: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived for a visit in Bulgaria on 6 July.

During his visit, the two sides signed a declaration about the support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine.

Nikolai Denkov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria, stressed that Sofia supports the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine and understands the role of Ukraine in the security situation in Europe in the future.

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