Bulgaria's Ministry of Power Engineering says there are no technical factors that could limit the life of Kozloduy 3 and 4.
Yordan Georgiev, head of the Nuclear Power Engineering and Nuclear Safety Directorate at the Ministry, says the recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on the safety of the units will be included as additional information in the Power Engineering Chapter.
The report is based on the findings of a June 2002 Safety Review Mission to Kozloduy. Its key observation is that units 3 and 4 can now cope with accidents involving the whole spectrum of primary pipe breaks, including breaks of the largest-diameter pipes. The report points out that, as a result of the modernisation of the two reactors, the basic safety functions have been improved to a degree that corresponds to, and in some areas exceeds, the initial IAEA recommendations.
Meanwhile, the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund has set aside E20 million to help fund energy efficiency improvements to the district heating system of Bulgaria's capital Sofia and it is expected to earmark another E10 million later this year for a similar purpose. The idea is to lessen the energy deficit caused by the closure of Kozloduy.
