Bulgaria Decides Against Selling Nuclear Reactors to Ukraine

April 16 ------ The Bulgarian government has decided not to sell two of its Soviet designed VVER pressurized water nuclear reactors from its Belene Nuclear Power Plant (NPPO) to Ukraine, according to a Forbes Bulgaria report. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, had previously approved the purchase of the Russian equipment for use at the country’s Khmelnitsky NPP, with the relevant legal approval of the decision being signed by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. The reactors were to be used in power units Nos. 3 and 4 at the NPP.   

Previously, Kyiv Post reported that Ukraine planned to build two Western and two Soviet designed nuclear reactors at Khmelnitsky to compensate for energy production disrupted by Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. Even though the ink on Ukraine’s decision is dry, the Bulgarian side has put a block on the transfer.  

Atanas Zafirov, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) announced the decision which, according to the Forbes Bulgaria report, was “supported by all partners in the government.”  “As a motive, the Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that our country needs to develop nuclear energy, especially given the rising price of electricity worldwide,” the media outlet wrote. In 2023, Bulgaria and Ukraine began negotiations for the sale of the two Russian nuclear reactors, originally intended for the unfinished Belene NPP, according to Forbes Bulgaria. Forbes said that “$1 billion will be spent on modernization. The price of the deal with Ukraine was estimated at about €600 million ($676 million).” 

Previously Interfax-Ukraine wrote that the two sides could not agree on the price of the purchase with Bulgaria wanting an increase.  “The Bulgarians have not yet signed the agreement, and one of the reasons is supposedly that they have decided to reconsider the price. We were told, the Bulgarian side wants almost $700 million, although our side insists on sticking with the agreed $600 million,” Interfax-Ukraine quoted Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Zhupanyn.  

Ukraine’s state enterprise negotiating the project, Energoatom, also asked Sofia to postpone payment. The technology used for Bulgarian atomic reactors WWER or VVER, water-water energetic reactors is also used by Russia’s state-owned atomic giant Rosatom. Kyiv Post previously wrote that sustaining VVER reactors in Europe and around the world is used by Rosatom as a tool to maintain its presence in Europe. Rosatom’s presence could also be used to apply political pressure and spread Russia’s interests or blackmail, Olena Lapenko from think tank DiXi Group told Kyiv Post. “On one hand, countries diversify their electricity supply and use cheap financing from Russia to construct these NPPs. But they result in dependence for decades, as much as 50-60 years, and then they extend the operating life of these reactors. And that’s why there is such expansion,” Lapenko said. “First you get concessional Russian financing for decades, and everyone’s wondering why some countries weirdly vote in the UN. Their key competitive advantage is low price – Soviet-era technologies are cheaper than US and French ones,” she said. It remains unknown why the Ukrainian government did not approach a western manufacturer such as Westinghouse to purchase reactors which offer newer technology and superior to the Soviet standards.  

Source: kyivpost.com