Energy expert Elenko Bozhkov took stock of the plant's management, technical problems, pricing policy and prospects for the Bulgarian energy sector.
The Kozloduy NPP has undergone serious tests in recent years, but is currently operating stably.
This was stated to BGNES by former Deputy Minister of Energy Elenko Bozhkov.
According to Bozhkov, one of the most serious challenges facing the Kozloduy NPP was the management of the plant in previous years. He recalled the removal of the former director and deputy director, emphasizing that, in his opinion, their actions have delayed key decisions for the development of nuclear power.
“They simply ruined, I would say, the nuclear power plant. They stopped its development, including by delaying the contracts for nuclear fuel diversification“, said the expert. According to him, this is what prevented the timely introduction of new supplies – for the fifth unit with fuel from “Westinghouse“ and for the sixth unit with fuel from “Framatom“.
When asked whether the plant was already operating without problems, Bozhkov indicated that the situation with regard to nuclear fuel had stabilized, but the consequences of old technical solutions remained.
He focused on the condition of the third steam generator of the sixth unit, emphasizing that its defects had been known since its delivery in the 1990s. According to him, there is an official document from 1994 that warns against increasing the reactor load during this steam generator.
“It was known that there were factory defects, and it was clearly recommended not to increase the power. This was not followed and we came to the current situation“, said Bozhkov. As a result, today it is necessary to limit the load on the unit in order to keep the equipment in operation.
The expert also made serious accusations of manipulated results and retroactively signed documents related to the increase in the unit's power, emphasizing that there are already prosecutorial inspections on the subject.
Delayed deliveries and derogations
A similar situation, according to him, is with the turbine membranes. The last delivery was in 2016, and after that, no action was taken for new parts for years. Subsequently, the war and the sanctions regimes imposed the use of derogations, the delay of which has further complicated situation.
„Now everything is being blamed on the current management, although neither the steam generator nor the membranes are to blame“, Bozhkov emphasized.
According to him, the derogation for the necessary parts has already been granted, and the sixth unit is operating close to its nominal capacity, without additional load.
The plant's profit is systematically seized
The expert also commented on the financial situation of the „Kozloduy“ NPP, stating that the plant produces the cheapest electricity, but a significant part of its revenues are seized through the regulated market.
„Not sometimes, but systematically the profit is seized“, he said. According to him, more than a third of the electricity produced was sold at regulated prices of about 60 leva per megawatt-hour – below the cost price of production.
This, according to Bozhkov, leads to the “decapitalization“ of the company and deprives it of funds for modernization and investments.
The personnel crisis - the biggest challenge
Looking to the future, the expert identified the shortage of qualified personnel in the energy sector as a key problem.
“We must overcome deprofessionalization and the lack of specialists. This is a problem of the entire sector, not just the nuclear power plant“, he said.
According to him, it is also necessary to free up electricity prices so that energy companies can operate sustainably and finance their activities.
The role of coal-fired power plants remains key
Bozhkov also drew attention to the coal-fired capacities in the “Maritsa“ complex East“. The reduction in carbon emissions prices, in his words, allows these plants to operate economically sustainably.
He stressed the need to find a solution to continue the work of “Maritsa East 1“, whose contract expires soon, as well as to guarantee the stability of “Maritsa East 3“.
In conclusion, the expert summarized that the most important condition for the stability of the sector is to reduce political interference. “The first thing that needs to be done is to let people work peacefully“, said Elenko Bozhkov.
Source: bgnes.bg