Kozloduy NPP – New Build EAD must submit an application to the NRA for the selection of a site for the construction of the 8th unit by the end of February or March

By the end of February or in March, the management of Kozloduy NPP – New Build EAD must submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) for the selection of a site for the construction of the 8th unit. The company will have to prove that another power unit can be built on the site. This will also start the licensing procedure for the construction of the facility. This was told to journalists by the Chairman of the NRA, Tsanko Bachyski.

Units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP

The application must contain all the necessary documents stipulated in the Regulation on the procedure for issuing licenses and permits, including a conceptual description of the nuclear facility and general characteristics and criteria for acceptability of the sites (of units 7 and 8), as well as a plan of assignment for conducting preliminary studies. It must also contain information on the scope of the envisaged preliminary studies, as formulated in the amendments to the Law on the Safe Use of Nuclear Energy (SUNE).

Regarding Unit 7, the Chairman of the NRA Tsanko Bachiiski and the Deputy Chairman Borislav Stanimirov specified that in order to continue the licensing procedure for the construction of the unit, the company must submit an application to the NRA with a request for a design permit, which must be accompanied by the necessary documents, including a technical design brief or a design contract and a list of applicable standards that will be used in the design of the nuclear facility. At this stage, the NRA is not clear when such an application will be submitted.

Additionally, the NRA is expecting documents from the Kozloduy NPP – New Build EAD with the results of the reassessment of the characteristics of "Site-2". As is known, the licensing procedure for the construction of Unit 7 was launched following the NRA's permit for site selection issued in 2013 to the company. Subsequently, in 2020, the aforementioned "Site-2" was approved after the relevant procedures.

About the Belene project

In response to a question about the equipment for the Belene NPP and its transfer to Ukraine in the event of a deal, the NRA Chairman specified that this is a commercial deal that does not concern the agency. The only requirement is that the nuclear regulator notify the International Nuclear Regulation Agency of the transfer of the equipment to another owner.

In the case of a resumption of construction of a nuclear power plant with the current equipment, the procedure, in particular the licensing process, must start from the stage at which the project was before its suspension by a decision of the Council of Ministers. But after approval of a compliance analysis. However, in the case of a nuclear power plant with a different type of reactor and equipment, the licensing process must start from the very beginning.

Radiana

Regarding the facility for the storage of medium and low-level waste, which will be implemented at the Radiana site on the territory of the Kozloduy NPP, the Deputy Chairman of the NRA Alexey Alexiev specified that the construction has been completed, but there is a lengthy stage of commissioning. Now, according to him, a process of handing over and accepting the construction documentation is underway, which is a rather slow process, and subsequently the licensing process is also ahead. Two more steps are ahead, said Alexiev, expressing the expectation that by the end of the year real activities will already be carried out.

Aleksiev also explained on what basis the possibilities for geological storage of nuclear waste are being studied. According to him, a clear roadmap for the construction of a geological storage facility is to be outlined in the new strategy.

Small Modular Reactors (SMR)

The leadership of the nuclear regulator was categorical that work is also being done on the new technology - small modular reactors, and at this stage internal rules have been created for such an innovative project. Active work is being done on the Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative of the IAEA Director General in terms of regulatory and industrial approaches, so as to facilitate the implementation of SMR. "The problem is that no one can force one regulator to accept a project just because it has been approved by another one," explained Bachiiski. Therefore, it is being done on the basis of joint work of several regulators. At the same time, he pointed out that specifically for Bulgaria, no one is aware of whether our country will need SMR. We have no concerns, said Bachiiski, explaining that it only needs to be clear which of the 9 technologies that received support will be preferred.

"These are new technologies for which we must be well prepared, but from our point of view the licensing process will be very long," commented Bachiiski.

Personnel

Personnel remains a sore subject for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, and for the entire nuclear sector in general, Bachiiski was categorical. Meanwhile, as is known, the approval process for the construction of units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP must be accompanied by a guarantee of the necessary human resources. The NRA Chairman reported on the planned work with schools, but acknowledged that challenges remain.

IRRS mission

By the end of February this year, the Nuclear Regulatory Agency expects the report from the peer review conducted to review the country's regulatory activities in the field of nuclear safety, radiation protection and radioactive waste management (IRRS). The mission was held from 17 to 29 November 2024.

According to the IAEA team, Bulgaria has a comprehensive and stable regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety. The mission found that the overall performance of Bulgaria's regulatory system could be improved with the adoption of a national safety policy and strategy in accordance with IAEA standards. Furthermore, the preliminary assessment is that the NRA has a culture of continuous improvement and is an experienced and competent regulator that fulfills its legal obligations without allowing external influence.