Bulgaria issues Kozloduy 5 licence extension

Bulgaria's Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) has awarded a 10-year extension to the operating licence of unit 5 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. NRA chairman Lachezar Kostov officially presented the document to the plant's executive director, Ivan Andreev, last week.

The Kozloduy site is home to two operating Russian-designed VVER-1000 pressurised water reactors, Kozloduy 5 and 6, as well as four shut-down VVER-440s. The units are currently licensed to 2017 and 2019.

Announcing the extension for unit 5 until 2027, NRA said on 3 November this marked the first time Bulgaria had permitted the continued operation of a nuclear power unit beyond the expiry of its original operating licence. The country's Energy Ministry added that the NRA had concluded the unit could continue with safe operation until 2047, but an operating licence extension is limited to 10 years under national legislation.

The plan to extend the operating lives of units 5 and 6 was initiated in April 2012 when Kozloduy NPP plc signed a contract with a consortium of Rosenergoatom and EDF. Early in 2013 a further contract was signed with Rusatom Services to upgrade the turbine generator of unit 6, taking it to 1100 MWe by installing a new stator, with work completed in November 2015.

In October 2014 an agreement for refurbishment and life extension of unit 5 was signed with the three companies. A €24.7 million ($28.6 million) agreement was signed with Rosatom in October 2015 for upgrading the turbine generator of unit 5 by May 2018. It involves Rosenergoatom, Rusatom Services and EDF. The government is committed to their life extension and uprate to 104% of original capacity.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News