Westinghouse extends FEED contract for new Kozloduy units
Westinghouse has announced it has signed an extension to the Front-End Engineering and Design contract for two new AP1000 reactors at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant.
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The original contract was signed by Westinghouse in June 2023, to assess the readiness of Bulgarian industry and infrastructure at the site to support the construction of the proposed two new units. The next stage will be the engineering services contract and the start of the design, licensing, training, project management and planning process ahead of a construction contract.
Dan Lipman, President of Westinghouse Energy Systems, said: "Westinghouse is committed to the Kozloduy project and to further strengthening and leveraging Bulgaria’s supply chain to support this critical project for the Balkans and others across Europe. We appreciate the close collaboration with Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild and look forward to taking the next important steps to Bulgaria’s energy security."
According to Bulgaria's official BTA news agency, Bulgaria's Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov said the agreement was "another important step in the implementation of what is for Bulgaria and the region a strategic project for the construction of nuclear capacity".
Kozloduy units 1-4 were VVER-440 models which the European Commission classified as non-upgradeable and Bulgaria agreed to close them during negotiations to join the European Union in 2007. Units 5 and 6 feature VVER-1000 reactors that were connected to the grid in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Both units have been through refurbishment and life-extension programmes to enable extension of operation from 30 to 60 years. The country's two operable reactors generate about one-third of its electricity.
The aim is for the first new unit - unit 7 at Kozloduy - to be operational in 2035 and the second one - unit 8 - to be operational in 2037. The 2300 MWe capacity of the two new units would exceed the 1760 MWe capacity of the closed first four units. The Bulgarian government has also said that further units will be needed to replace units 5 and 6 by 2050.
In February, Hyundai E&C was shortlisted for the construction and commissioning of the new Westinghouse units. In September, Malinov said he expected an engineering contract to be signed in the coming months between Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild and a consortium of Westinghouse and Hyundai E&C.
