Gradual transition of Bulgaria's nuclear power plant to American nuclear fuel occurs.
The Bulgarian nuclear power plant Kosloduj has started changing its facilities to nuclear fuel from the US. The operator has shared that the oldest reactor, Block 5 from 1987, came back online on Monday morning after 43 fuel elements made by the American company Westinghouse were put into the reactor. Until now, the nuclear fuel for the country's sole nuclear power plant had solely come from Russia.
Kosloduj entered into supply agreements with Westinghouse and Framatome, a subsidiary of the French EDF group, after Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022 to free themselves from Russian supplies in the long run. The second reactor is expected to be supplied by Framatome shortly. The conversion of all reactors to new fuel elements will be done gradually over the next four years.
The Kosloduj power station provides approximately one-third of Bulgaria's electricity needs and also met the remaining energy requirements of the NATO and EU member nation until recently, mostly through Russian deliveries. In the coming years, new nuclear reactors from the US manufacturing will be built, and eventually, they will replace the old Soviet-era reactors. The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary have also signed supply deals with Westinghouse and Framatome for their nuclear power plants. 📸1
