Westinghouse, Gov't to Sign Final Deal on Unit 7 Next Year - CEO

US-based company Westinghouse sees big opportunities in Bulgaria, but the government's resignation will delay ongoing projects, CEO Danny Roderick said.

Roderick also told Bulgarian daily Trud the final deal on Unit 7 would be sealed next year.

His remarks, quoted by a number of media outlets, came as he was on a visit to Bulgaria to meet Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski and other officials from the government in resignation.

During their meeting, Oresharski restated Bulgaria's commitment to the project.

Oresharski's government stepped down last week without adopting a final decision to sign a deal with Westinghouse on the unit, leaving the move into the hands of the next elected government due to take over after the vote in October.

In an interview with the Bulgarian National Television, Roderick revealed the prospect of building a second nuclear reactor at the Kozloduy NPP, apart from the Unit 7 of which Westinghouse will be in charge, is currently being considered.

Roderick confirmed that the price tag of Kozloduy NPP's Unit 7 would be slightly over USD 5 B and assured that was the most "competitive" price Westinghouse had offered in contracts so far.

He added the project had managed to raise some financing, including "by a US bank".

The CEO stressed the construction of Unit 7 would create new jobs for the local inhabitants, but also admitted it would suffer delays, as the political environment (early elections included) were changing initial plans to strike an agreement with Sofia at the earliest possible.

Commenting on criticism that the project has drawn over the past months, he warned against drawing parallels between the unit and the Belene NPP project.

"Belene [NPP] was an...