The regular Monitoring Mission* of representatives of the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Ministry of Energy was held in the period 16-19 March 2026. The visit aims to monitor in-situ the progress of activities under the Kozloduy Programme for the Decommissioning of Units 1-4 of Kozloduy NPP, which is under implementation by State Enterprise Radioactive Waste.

The Mission was led by Jan Panek, Director DIR D “Nuclear Energy, Safety and ITER”, DG “Energy” of the European Commission”, and by the Deputy Minister of Energy Krasimir Nenov, in his capacity as Programme Coordinator for the Republic of Bulgaria under the Decommissioning Programme.

During the four-day monitoring of the current implementation of the Programme, the participants got acquainted with the progress of activities in the Controlled Area of Specialized Division Decommissioning – Units 1-4. They visited key SERAW facilities, including the Turbine Hall, the plasma melting facility and the National Disposal Facility for Radioactive Waste at Radiana site.

During their visit, the international and Bulgarian institutions involved in the Programme held in-depth discussions with SERAW’s management and experts. The talks focused both on the current implementation of the Programme and on identifying future projects in support of the safe and efficient decommissioning of the nuclear facilities.

The constructive dialogue and partnership with the European institutions reaffirm SERAW’s commitment to the transparent and responsible management of the decommissioning processes on par with the highest nuclear safety standards.

*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

On 12 and 13 January 2026, following an expressed interest by the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) of the Netherlands in the Plasma Melting Facility, State Enterprise Radioactive Waste (SERAW) hosted a visit by a team of five experts from the Dutch regulatory authority.
On the first day of the two-day visit, the Deputy Executive Director for Radioactive Waste Management, Georgi Razlozhki, and the Head of Plasma Melting Section, Iliyan Dimitrov, familiarized the specialists in detail with the technical features of the facility for treatment and conditioning of radioactive waste.
During the second day, the delegation visited the facility on site. Following a scheduled maintenance, the facility is now being made ready to start its ninth operational campaign. Since the first operational campaign, which began at the end of 2018, more than 6,300 cubic metres of radioactive waste have been treated. Over the most recent campaign, a total of 1,375 cubic metres of radioactive waste was treated, representing a record volume to date.
“Your assistance is extremely valuable to us. For us, this was a highly beneficial visit. We are impressed with the organisation, the comprehensive information provided by you, and your readiness to share your experience with us. We learned a great deal.”, so commented the participants in the visit.

The construction of a radioactive waste treatment and conditioning facility capable of achieving a high-volume reduction factor is among the most significant projects implemented through the support of the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF). The Plasma Melting Facility represents a unique technology, and through its capabilities of feeding various combinations of radioactive waste, it achieves a very high volume reduction factor that is difficult to achieve with other technologies. This ensures full compliance with all radioactive waste management principles, in particular, the disposal of minimal quantities and the avoidance of burdening the generations to come with the care of radioactive waste generated today.
The project was implemented by an international consortium. The facility was constructed to support the safe decommissioning of Units 1 to 4 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, a responsibility entrusted to State Enterprise Radioactive Waste. In addition to waste from the units under decommissioning, the facility also treats radioactive waste generated from the operation of Units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant.

*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

The purpose of the scientific visit was for the Polish experts to familiarize themselves in due time with various aspects of decommissioning, radioactive waste management (RAW), as well as with the related regulatory activities.

The Polish delegation visited the Permanent Repository for RAW near Novi han to learn firsthand about the more important issues, linked with the monitoring programme, waste acceptance criteria and subsequent management thereof. In the following days of the visit, the focus shifted on the activities of the Specialized Divisions of SERAW at Kozloduy site. In a number of meetings, presentations and discussions at the Information Centre for Decommissioning, experts and part of the management of the Enterprise explained the main points in implementation of the Decommissioning Programme, RAW management, as well as further disposal. The Polish delegation had the opportunity to familiarize themselves visually with SERAW organisation and actual work processes by visiting in-situ the Turbine Hall of Units 1 to 4, Control Room – 2, Free Release Measurement Facility, Size Reduction & Decontamination Workshop, Storage Facility for temporary storage of conditioned RAW and the National Disposal Facility for low- and intermediate-level RAW on Radiana site. At the end of the visit, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Tsanko Bachiyski, and the President of the National Atomic Energy Agency of Poland, Andrzej Głowacki, joined the group of Polish experts. Both of them also participated in the final meeting of the scientific visit to SERAW Head Office, where they had a formal conversation with the Chairman of the Management Board of the Enterprise, Sergey Tsochev, on the outcome of the visit and the prospects of strengthening professional relationship.

“We would like to thank you for the hospitality and overall organisation, for the comprehensive informational presentations and for the opportunity to visit real operating facilities of SERAW. The experience of the Bulgarian experts in the field of RAW management is impressive. The SERAW experts gave us many good examples of safe and sustainable radioactive waste management. We are impressed with the successful implementation of the National Disposal Facility project. We look forward to future collaboration,” shared the representatives of the Polish RAW Disposal Enterprise upon ending their scientific visit.

Poland is one of the few countries in the former Socialist Bloc to remain without a nuclear power plant. Currently, the energy transition plans are ambitious, and over the recent years the country has been actively working to build nuclear power facilities.

The forum was co-chaired by Mr Jan Panek, Director of Directorate-General for Energy with the European Commission (EC), Directorate ENER.D “Nuclear energy, safety and ITER”, and by the Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr Nikolay Nikolov, in his capacity of the Programme Coordinator.

The Monitoring Committee accepted the progress report for the second half of 2023, and discussed on-going and upcoming projects and future challenges until the end of the Programme.

At the beginning of March a walk-down was carried out at Kozloduy Units 1-4 and Radiana sites to facilitate an objective assessment of the presented progress report. The participants in the Committee personally observed the progress of activities in the Controlled Area premises, the National Disposal Facility site, the workshop established in the reconstructed diesel-generator building for production of reinforced-concrete containers for packaging of RAW. In the course of their visit, the Monitoring Committee members also visited the Controlled Area of Specialized Division RAW Kozloduy.

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*In accordance with 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. Pursuant to the current rules, the Decommissioning Programme progress shall be monitored every six months in several successive steps. SERAW shall draft a Monitoring Report presenting the implementation of the planned activities for the respective period, which shall be 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 European Commission representatives in order to directly monitor on-the-spot 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 shall be summarised and the Monitoring Report shall accordingly be approved.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EURATOM) 2021/100

The apparatus weighs 156 tonnes and is 11.5 m long and about 4.5 m in diameter. It was raised to a height of 12 m and transferred through the Reactor Hall and thento the Turbine Hall (TH). The operation was led by the Chief Technologist of Specialized Division Decommissioning of Units 1 to 4, Borislav Iliev. He spoke about the challenges in its implementation: “The opening, through which the Steam Generator had to pass, is 9×5 metres in size. This means that given the apparatus overall dimensions, it had to be removed at an angle of about 45 degrees. It was therefore important, from an engineering point of view, to calculate the length of the slings extremely precisely. This was done by the Engineering Support Division’s team within the Specialized Division. There are a total of three openings in the Steam Generator compartment through which we are about to remove the remaining five Steam Generators. This means that some of them have to be moved within the compartment itself, which is also a challenge, but we have the right equipment delivered and I believe we will be successful.”

Following a rigorous dosimetric check, the Steam Generator is now laid down in a buffer storage area within the Turbine Hall. A permit to operate the storage area and store 12 Steam Generators has been issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. By the end of the next year, Units 3&4 SG compartments must be completely emptied. Fragmentation of the SGs will begin in 2026. In the course of these two years, a Dry-cutting Workshop for dry fragmentation is to be built through financing by the Bulgarian National Funds. The equipment under the project will be financed by the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund (KIDSF) through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The Steam Generator relocation activities started from Unit 3 for two reasons. Firstly, this is where a full-system chemical decontamination of the Primary Circuit via ‘Spider’ installation was completed earliest in time. Secondly, according to the Decommissioning Programme, it is planned that by 2030, the Steam Generator compartment of this unit be reconstructed into a storage facility for interim storage of large-tonnage containers (80 tonnes). They will be used to store fragmented components from the reactor internals and from the reactors themselves, with a single container being capable of holding up to 20 tonnes of materials segregated during dismantling. They are expected to remain there for storage for the next 50 yearsuntil a deep geological repository is built or until activities have fallen enough to meet the criteria for disposal in the National Disposal Facility for Radioactive Waste.

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* The Steam Generator is a major component of the NPP electricity generating scheme. It is a heat exchanger for generating water steam of superatmospheric pressure at the expense of the heat of the primary coolant coming from the nuclear reactor. In the 440-megawatt units of the nuclear power plant, there are six Steam Generators for each reactor.

In connection with Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants, Research Reactors and Other Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, IAEA Safety Standards Series, Specific Safety Guide No. SSG-47 and the requirement of the European Commission to implement a software product of such scale, concerted efforts were taken in early 2020 to implement a Uniform Information Model for Decommissioning (UIM for DECOM). In order to implement the complex task, a team was formed with UIM for DECOM task force having in-depth knowledge of IT technologies, decommissioning of nuclear facilities and RAW management processes.

The unique development is a web-based software for management of the generated information in the process of decommissioning of the nuclear facilities, as well as the subsequent management of all material flows, including radioactive materials and radioactive waste in SERAW divisions. To that end, modules with logbooks and records have been created for all departments thereby enabling quick access to the necessary information, fast communication, reducing the probability of errors and ensuring safe and secure data storage. Combining all information based on the so-called “live data” provides an optimal opportunity to prepare records for traceability and accountability of the activities, materials and resources of the individual departments throughout the entire life cycle of the facilities, as well as for planning subsequent activities.

Currently, the Uniform Information Model ensures entirely the needs of the decommissioning activities of the NPP’s shutdown units, and integration with the existing ‘Traceability modules’ also of Specialized Divisions RAW-Kozloduy and PRRAW-Novi han, respectively – the creation of a Unified Information System of SERAW, are about to be carried out soon.

The current information about the ongoing dismantling is supplemented by a 3D model – a software product that is part of the UIM and SERAW Unified Data Management Information System. It features a detailed three-dimensional visualization of all premises and structures, systems and components located therein in Units 1 to 4 and Auxiliary Buildings 1 and 2 aimed at providing detailed technical information and data on the radiological environment on the basis of a performed gamma scanning in the Controlled Area. The software provides quick access to the database with process diagrams of the available systems. The 3D model makes it possible to effectively use the entered information for the purposes of planning, dismantling and material management, reducing the time for searching and analysing the necessary data. All dismantled structures, systems and components are highlighted in the three-dimensional model by the UIM for DECOM task force operators, which makes it possible to review the equipment by its status (“Dismantled”, “Not yet dismantled”, “In the process of dismantling” and “Remains in operation”. These activities are carried out on the basis of the current data entered into UIM ‘Dismantling module’ logbooks.

“When developing the UIM, we encountered difficulties attributable to the lack of any information related to the creation of such a product, due to the uniqueness of the task and its specificity”, explained Yordan Penchev and Pavel Dimitrov, two members of the team that developed and implemented the UIM. “This software is outstanding of its kind to manage decommissioning activities. In the beginning, a large portion of the time was dedicated not only to the creation and writing of IT solutions, but also to the preparation of all the documentation necessary to ensure the functionality of the software product. We also consider as a challenge the requirement of getting to know all departments, processes and generated documents related to the decommissioning activities, as well as the need of introducing a number of changes (into existing documents and logbooks) necessary to ensure current processes. This stage was and continues to be one of the most engaging and difficult to implement, due to the specific factor of communication and accountability between the departments directly involved in decommissioning. After several years of hard work and collaboration with experts from all departments, we are now pleased to present a working Uniform Information Model. We thank all colleagues for the joint work that contributed to this excellent result!”