The Regular Monitoring Mission* by representatives of the European Commission, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Ministry of Energy, which monitors the progress of the activities related to implementation of the Kozloduy Programme for Decommissioning of Kozloduy NPP Units 1 to 4, was held in the period 10-12 March 2025. The aim was to witness on-the-spot the progress of the Programme being implemented by State Enterprise Radioactive Waste (SERAW).
The mission was led by Jan Panek, Director, Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission with responsibility for Nuclear Energy, Safety and ITER, and by the Deputy Minister of Energy, Georgi Samandov, in his capacity of a Programme Coordinator for the Republic of Bulgaria under the Decommissioning Programme.
During the three-day monitoring of the current implementation of the Programme, the participants were introduced to the Monitoring Report for the second half of 2024 and discussed opportunities and responsibilities regarding the re-baseline, organisational improvements, knowledge sharing and dissemination for the current year, new project proposals with respect to future activities, as well as other business matters. The objective assessment of the report presented on the part of Bulgaria was also facilitated by the extensive walk-down of SERAW facilities on Kozloduy site – Units 1&2 dismantling areas; Turbine Hall and the established storage area for dismantled Steam Generators; the intended site of the fragmentation zone for dismantled large-size equipment; the Plasma Melting Facility currently operating in its eighth operating campaign; the Wet Solid Waste treatment facility; the historical solid and liquid radioactive waste storage facilities. The mission participants examined with particular interest the areas for production of reinforced-concrete containers (RCCs) – in the Turbine Hall and the RCC Production Workshop, which has been in operation since August 2024, as one of the completed projects supported by the KIDSF. The current status of the National Disposal Facility for Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste at Radiana site was also presented during the visit.
“My assessment of the conducted Monitoring Mission is that the progress is visible – work is ongoing on all sites and people are motivated. At the same time, the communication between the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, the Consultant and the Bulgarian participants – SERAW and the Ministry of Energy – proves to be highly efficient. I have absolutely no concerns regarding the progress and completion of the activities planned under the Programme”, said the Deputy Minister of Energy, Georgi Samandov, with absolute certainty, in his assessment of the job done and the results set forth during the three-day forum.
*In accordance with the Council Regulation of the European Union on the provision of grant funds to Bulgaria in the process of decommissioning of nuclear facilities* and the applicable procedures, the implementation of activities which are financed by the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF), shall be subject to regular monitoring. In accordance with the current rules, the Decommissioning Programme progress shall be monitored every six months in several successive steps. SERAW drafts a Monitoring Report presenting the implementation of the planned activities for the respective period, which is reviewed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and submitted to the Directorate-General for Energy (ENER) of the European Commission (EC). This is followed by on-the-spot visit to the Kozloduy site by representatives of the European Commission in order to directly monitor the implementation of the activities specified in the document. The procedure ends with a final meeting of the Committee at which the results of the monitoring are summarised and the Monitoring Report is accordingly adopted.
* COUNCIL REGULATION (Euratom) 2021/100
