Bulgarian MPs Reject Proposal to Revive Belene Nuclear Project

Lawmakers in Bulgaria have turned down a proposal to scrap a ban on proceeding with the construction of Belene nuclear power plant (NPP).

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)'s proposal has been defeated in Parliament just weeks before the current legislature
is dissolved, months after the outgoing administration announced it might be looking into ways to revive the construction of Bulgaria's second nuclear plant.

"Look what's happening outside. Bulgaria's electricity system is on the brink [of collapsing] today]," the Bulgarian National Radio quotes BSP lawmaker Tasko Ermenkov as saying, in a reference to the cold snap that is putting a strain on Bulgaria's energy system.

Ermenkov has called on lawmakers to back the move "so that we don't stay in the dark and we are not cold tomorrow."

But Delyan Dobrev, from GERB party of outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, has retorted that the government in resignation tasked Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova to propose a solution to Parliament after conducting an analysis of possible scenarios.

Authorities have sought options to bring the project back to life in order to make use of nuclear reactors Bulgaria will receive from the Russian company Atomstroyexport. Petkova earlier cited interest in the project from foreign investors.