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Bulgaria Is Advancing New AP1000 Units
Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)-New Build EAD signed an agreement with Laurentis Energy Partners, Canadian Nuclear Partners SA (CNPSA), and BWXT Canada for two Westinghouse AP1000 units. The contract will also include technical advisory and project management oversight and is valued in the hundreds of millions of euros. It supports Bulgaria’s target of bringing Unit 7 online in 2035 and Unit 8 in 2037, adding 2,300 megawatts electric (MWe) of capacity to a site that currently supplies one-third of the country’s electricity. This agreement builds on the selection of Westinghouse’s AP1000 in 2023 and the 2024 engineering contract signed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Westinghouse, and Kozloduy NPP-New Build. Additionally, in July, Citibank agreed to partner with the Ministry of Energy to secure financing for the two new units, and site selection approval was granted in November.
Previously, Kozloduy hosted six Soviet VVER-440 units, but four were closed as part of Bulgaria’s EU accession process. The remaining units, which were upgraded to extend operations, will need replacement by 2050, prompting Sofia to explore small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of its long-term strategy to reduce coal usage and to diversify away from Russia. With Canada planning to begin construction on its