site.btaUPDATED Kozloduy N-plant Signs Fuel Supply Agreement with Framatome

Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant and Framatome GmbH on Friday signed an agreement under which the German arm of the French nuclear plant developer will supply fresh nuclear fuel for Reactor Unit 6, one of two operational units at Kozloduy.

The agreement was signed by Kozloduy N-plant Executive Director Georgi Kirkov and Lionel Gaiffe, Senior Executive Vice President at Framatome in charge of the Operational Excellence and Fuel Business Unit. Caretaker Energy Minister Rossen Hristov attended the ceremony.

The news comes just days after Kozloduy concluded an agreement with Westinghouse Electric Sweden on the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for Reactor Unit 5 of the nuclear plant. The agreements with Westinghouse and Framatome are part of an effort to diversify energy supplies to Bulgaria and do away with the country's dependence on Russian energy resources.

Kirkov said at Friday's ceremony that the signing of the agreement with Framatome marks the end of a whole stage in the programme for diversifying fresh nuclear fuel supplies. Kozloduy and Framatome will make every effort to ensure that the goals and the deadlines set in the agreement are transposed into the final contract. Kirkov is convinced that the two operational reactors at Kozloduy, Units 5 and 6, will keep working for a long time, reliably and without interruption.

Gaiffe said Framatome's fuel has undergone due licensing. He said his company is very proud to participate in the supply of fresh nuclear fuel to Kozloduy, a power plant of great importance to Bulgaria.

According to Energy Minister Rossen Hristov, the signing of the agreement completes the diversification of fresh nuclear fuel supplies. He noted that there have been difficulties in receiving nuclear fuel from Russia. Ensuring Kozloduy's uninterrupted operation at full capacity is essential for Bulgaria's energy and national security. Therefore, everything necessary was done to bring the negotiations with the two largest international nuclear fuel suppliers to successful completion, Hristov said.

Taking a journalist's question, Hristov said the duration of the future contract with Framatome will be 10 years. The price conditions are highly competitive, he said, adding that the first delivery of fresh nuclear fuel is expected in 2025.

The final contract is to be signed by the middle of 2023, Deputy Energy Minister Elenko Bozhkov said.

Under the agreement with Westinghouse, the first delivery for Reactor Unit 5 is scheduled to take place by the middle of 2024.