News

The State Enterprise Radioactive Waste (SERAW) received the final approval for signing a new Grant Agreement for financing of the National Disposal Facility for Low- and Intermediate Radioactive Waste (NDF) during the regular meeting of the Assembly of Donors of Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF). The Assembly’s approval guarantees the provision of the necessary financial resource for implementation of the first stage of the national construction site which reliably will isolate the radioactive waste from the environment and the people.

The forum took place in London on 14 June 2013. A day before that there was a preliminary meeting with highest level representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the KIDSF Steering Committee. During the meeting for control of the KIDSF financed activities the SERAW experts have presented the results achieved in implementation of the two major projects: the Decommissioning Programme for Units 1-4 of Kozloduy NPP and the construction of the National Disposal Facility. As result of the convincing facts for the progress of these projects the representatives of the European institutions highly appreciated the made efforts and the significant progress achieved by SERAW in the last months with regard specifically to receiving licenses for management of Units 3 and 4 as RAW management facilities issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) and the successful transfer of personnel from Kozloduy NPP to SERAW; the positive opinion of the Ministry of Environment and Water (MEW) for the quality of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report on the decommissioning of the shutdown units and the progress of its forthcoming public discussion; the successful start of the work of the new structure for project management to SERAW (International Project Division) for KIDSF financed projects; the achieved results under the programme for construction of NDF – submission of the final Technical Design  for the NDF, the progress in the implementation of the activities of preoperational monitoring of Radiana site and preparatory works on the site infrastructure with regard to the forthcoming construction, the progress in the preparation of the tender documentation for realization of the first stage of NDF project.

Some new projects, that require European financing, were presented at the meeting of the Assembly. Their implementation will secure the process of safe decommissioning of the shutdown facilities.  The participants in the meeting did not object the proposals. It is expected the Grant Agreement for their financing to be approved at the next meeting of the Assembly of Donors at the end of the year. The money will be used for: supply of lifting and transportation equipment; back-up power supply for Units 1 and 2 and dismantling of diesel generator station-1 (DGS-1); restoration of hydro-insulation of turbine hall and reactor building of Units 1-4; preparation of detailed design for dismantling of equipment in the controlled area and supply of equipment for treatment of accumulated quantities of radioactive waste.

In November 1999 the Bulgarian government and the European Commission signed an agreement according to which the Bulgarian government strictly undertook the obligation to shut down and decommission Units 1-4 of

Kozloduy NPP. Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund was established in June 2000. It is administered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and supports the decommissioning activities and the mitigation of the earlier shut down of the units.

KIDSF is managed by the Assembly of Donors and provides strategic management. EBRD provides technical, project management, financial, legal and administrative services. The financing of the projects depends on the approval by the Assembly of Donors in case that Bulgaria fulfills its obligations related to the decommissioning. The meetings of the Assembly of Donors take place twice a year.