China, South Korea vie for Bulgarian nuclear power project

CNNC and KEPCO subsidiary KHNP had filed applications for the project.

Reuters reports that state utilities from China and South Korea, including CNNC and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co (KHNP), are amongst the seven groups interested in becoming strategic investors in Bulgaria’s Belene nuclear power project, citing the national energy minister.

Neighbouring North Macedonia has also expressed an interest in a minority stake and long-term contracts to buy electricity from the 2,000MW project on the river Danube, estimated to cost EUR10b, Temenuzhka Petkova said.

Sofia revived the Belene project last year after the parliament said it should seek investors to make use of the two reactors it paid over EUR620m to Russia’s Rosatom in compensation for scrapping the original project in 2012.

“There has been a lot of scepticism whether there will be interest at all for the project. With the applications we got this is no more, because these are some of the global leaders in the nuclear energy,” Petkova said.

Read the full report here.