The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will delay the tender to select a company to build Bulgaria’s Belene nuclear power plant, TASS reported on April 24.
In December, the ministry invited five companies to file binding offers: China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Russia's Atomenergoprom, a subsidiary of Rosatom, France's Framatome and US-based General Electric.
According to TASS, Bulgaria has informed Rosatom about the delay of the tender due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The launch of the tender would depend on the easing of restrictions the government has imposed since March 13 when it declared a state of emergency.
Bulgaria started planning the new nuclear power plant long before the current emphasis on reducing carbon emissions began. Plans to build the Belene NPP were scrapped in 2012, but Sofia was forced to reconsider after Bulgaria was ordered to reimburse over €600mn to Atomstroyexport (a unit of Russia’s Rosatom), which had won the contract to build the power plant and had already started work.
The government in Sofia hopes to finish the project within 10 years at a cost of up to €10bn.
This Southeast Europe Outlook 2024 has been prepared by bne IntelliNews as part of a series of annual reviews providing updates on the geopolitical, macroeconomic and commercial state of ... more
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union, and ILX Management, an emerging market asset manager, have joined forces to enhance private-sector finance in Emerging ... more
Momentum is building behind calls for the EU to impose a ban on Russian LNG, even though doing so could make it harder for the bloc to stock up on gas supplies before next winter. The EU has ... more