The situation around the “Kozloduy“ NPP is unusual, but there is no risk to the system, said the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria Iva Petrova in the studio of “The Day Begins“ on BNT.
"The price of electricity is market-based. How does the market react in such a situation - it is normal when there are any risky situations for the market to assess the risk. But we also have an economic regulator that monitors market behavior. The situation around the “Kozloduy“ NPP is unusual, but there is an organization in place. There is no risk to supplies, there is no risk to the system, there is no impact on the security of supplies", said the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria Iva Petrova.
"The extreme rise in the level of the Danube River allows us to maintain the operation of the plant with a slight unloading of unit 5 - at 94%. The situation is dynamic, the hydrological situation in the area of the plant, related to the critically low levels of the Danube River, still continues to be complicated. We are monitoring the situation, the teams are working around the clock. Other problems are algae, the need for daily cleaning, maintenance of hydraulic facilities. I sincerely hope that we will get through this situation as we are at the moment. The situation is extreme. The plant has not operated under similar conditions, but the teams are coping", pointed out Iva Petrova. This is how the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria commented on the low level of the Danube River.
Regarding the measures of Europe and the Bulgarian reaction, Petrova stated:
"We are not late. What is being announced are certain events in Hungary and Romania. We have also been working for several weeks – interdepartmental coordination has been established, current data on the level of the Danube River has been taken, the riverbed in the area of the power plant has been photographed, current hydrological analyses have been carried out, hydraulic modelling has been carried out using a mathematical model, which was supposed to calculate the possible effect on the level of the river, and about 7 options for specific solutions with the possibility of raising the level of the river have been identified. Before making a specific choice, all analyses were carried out. We focused on building a dam on the river. Work is underway on the specific project, but other options are also being explored – to be transferred from internal reservoirs to the power plant.
Regarding the dam that is planned to be built at the Kozloduy NPP, the minister commented:
"The dam is being designed with a length of about 250-300 meters. This is a matter of design. We are waiting for the results of the project to come out. The construction of the facility in question will take about 10-15 days. The relevant organization has also been created on site for the construction in question to take place.
Regarding Bulgaria's consumption and electricity exports, the minister stated:
"Bulgaria's daily consumption is about 90,000 megawatt hours. We produce about 130,000 and export about 31,000. We have all options for action to prevent a problem in the system. What we have done is to accelerate the completion of the work activities of the Maritsa-East 2 TPP - the 7th unit has been available since Friday, the 8th will enter into operation next week. The hydroelectric power plants are also available. We have a little more reserves compared to another year, which are ready to support the evening peak if necessary."