Tsvetelina Penkova in front of FACTS: Bulgaria is the only country with an approved project for a new nuclear power plan

Nuclear energy in the EU… What are the prospects and what to expect… Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP from the group of socialists, spoke to FAKTI.

- Mrs. Penkova, a few days ago the 17th European Nuclear Energy Forum took place in Prague. What decisions were made?
- The European Nuclear Energy Forum is organized every year by the European Commission and brings together high-ranking political leaders, key representatives of European institutions, national regulators, representatives of the nuclear industry and experts from academia.
This year, the main topics were the role of nuclear power for energy security in the EU and how the sector can contribute to the future re-industrialization of Europe. All those present united around the conclusion that we cannot achieve a competitive European economy and industry without cheap electricity prices.
In the recently published report by Mario Draghi, the main problem and reason for the slow growth of the European economy in recent decades is precisely the high cost of energy. Our main competitors in the global market such as the US and China take advantage of all available technologies and as a result have much lower production costs. Building new nuclear capacity will ensure more predictable and stable prices for EU consumers and industry.

- The forum was attended by experts and political leaders from all over Europe. What brought them together?
- I was invited in my capacity as first deputy. - Chairman of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy in the European Parliament, and the forum was opened with addresses by the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic - Petar Fiala, and Slovakia - Robert Fico. A number of experts from the Main Directorate "Energy" were also present. of the European Commission.
Everyone admitted that in recent years the EU has emphasized too much and mainly on renewable energy sources. We haven't invested enough in base energy sources – it's high time that changed. The development of European nuclear power is becoming a key priority.

- How direct is the link between the role of nuclear energy for energy security in the EU and the role of the sector for the future re-industrialization of Europe?
- There is a direct connection between the two. In the last major piece of legislation in the previous term, the EU Reindustrialisation Regulation, we included nuclear technology as strategic. This means that nuclear energy-related productions become a priority for regulators regarding administrative relief and will receive European funding. European companies are still leaders in the development of new and safe nuclear technologies and we have excellently trained personnel. A very large part of Europe's large industrial enterprises produce components to support the continent's nuclear power plants. These industries are protected by the new Reindustrialization Regulation, and industries and factories targeting the sector and using European funding can also be opened.
Apart from the obvious contribution of nuclear power plants to lower electricity prices, the by-products that develop from this technology, such as radioisotopes, for example, find direct application in our fight against cancer. In these areas, Europe is the leader in innovative technologies, and it is precisely such a modern, clean and high-paying industry that we must develop in order to maintain our place as a global leader, because the competition is not waiting.

- How the European Union changed its vision of renewables, which turned out to be
that they are not enough?
- At the beginning of the previous mandate, we managed to recognize nuclear energy as sustainable and green, which opened the doors for it to access financing from the capital markets, rather than relying only on state budgets. This was the first breakthrough in a long time, with which we gave a real chance for the competitive development of nuclear energy in the EU.
A key role in this decision was the work that I and MEPs from several other countries created a Nuclear Energy Support Group in the European Parliament. Such a group already existed in the Council of the EU, where countries, including Bulgaria, had joined forces to restore confidence in the future of Europe's nuclear sector. With joint efforts, we managed to convince our colleagues from other countries that without basic energy sources we cannot have low electricity prices and guarantee the energy security of the EU.

- Nuclear energy is now seen as the main base energy source in the EU. Why?
- Because after the overinvestment in renewable energy sources, it turned out that the electricity transmission systems of many countries in the EU cannot bear the overproduction of electricity during the day and the drop at night. At times of greatest fluctuations, it was seen that we needed base sources to accommodate the constant demand and need for electricity. Nuclear power plants are the absolute leader in this, because they are a developed and proven technology that produces electricity at low prices and does not release harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

- Where is Bulgaria in the whole scheme? What prospects do we have for the “Kozloduy“ NPP?
- Unfortunately, Bulgaria is the only country that I know of that voluntarily gives up on a licensed and approved project to build a new nuclear power plant. In March of this year, I organized a large conference in Brussels with representatives of the Bulgarian industry, at which predictions were heard that we will need 4 new reactors, two of which will replace the current ones at the Kozloduy NPP, which sooner or later will have to be decommissioned. And two more to compensate for the expected decline in electricity production from coal plants. Therefore, there is no contradiction between the construction of new reactors in Kozloduy and the completion of the project in Belene. At this same conference, the European Commission clearly raised the question of why we are not finishing the project in Belene, given that it is half ready. There is no way to give an adequate answer to this question, because economic and political logic indicate that it should be completed as soon as possible.

Bulgaria is the main exporter of electricity in the region.

The new nuclear capacities will be needed to guarantee low and predictable prices in the long term not only in Bulgaria, but also in the entire region and parts of the EU. One of the main priorities in the European energy policy for the next five years will be the construction of a connected electricity transmission network in the EU. In this way, the energy produced in Bulgaria will be able to be exported to more distant countries such as Germany, for example. We are a leader in electricity production and our European partners rely on us. Let's realize this as a national priority and stop delaying new nuclear power for political reasons.

- The main question. How do you see the price of household electricity moving?
- I am afraid that when we have to liberalize the price for the household, what happened in the industry will happen and there will be big movements in the price. The fact that a bakery cannot predict how much the price of electricity will cost it in the next few days inevitably affects the final price of the bread it produces.
It is for this reason that we, from the BSP, have a very clear position regarding postponing the liberalization of the electricity market for household consumers, until there are clear criteria on how the most vulnerable consumers will be protected.

- Our deputies once again postponed the liberalization of the market, but how much longer can we postpone?
- This once again shows that we have not prepared for things that we know will happen for decades. With the demise of the public supplier, how will electricity distribution companies be incentivized to offer affordable energy to citizens by 2026? This is a key question that is repeatedly asked by BSP energy experts. Before undertaking fundamental changes to the electricity market in Bulgaria, all questions must be answered and it must be ensured that household consumers will not be put at risk.
We can delay until we are sufficiently prepared and know how we will be able to protect all households from price increases. No one in Brussels wants to expose Bulgarian consumers to the risk of unaffordable bills. The suggestion that because we have a commitment that someone is pressuring us to hurry is absolutely false. Yes, at some point this condition will be fulfilled, but only when the regulators in Bulgaria can adequately implement this policy – we have no binding deadline.

- What does it mean for Bulgaria to start thinking about strategic European funding for the nuclear sector? Can we build a nuclear plant with European money?
- This is the next challenge facing the European nuclear industry. The EU is currently funding the development of new fusion technologies and the safe decommissioning of our old reactors. The energy crisis we experienced in the last 2 years showed us that we need to invest in our own resources and in our own production facilities. This was also recognized at the European Nuclear Energy Forum this year. I await the hearing of the nominated new European Commissioners and especially the one responsible for energy. I will ask just such questions. Without a purposeful European policy and support from national governments, we cannot develop such large projects.
I think we should certainly talk about European funding for the safe storage of nuclear waste. This is a pan-European cause. Even if a country does not have nuclear power on its territory, it can import and use electricity produced by nuclear power plants in neighboring countries. Such are the cases with Germany and Denmark. All member states, with very few exceptions, use nuclear energy and it is normal for all of us - in solidarity - to have a relationship and jointly seek a European solution and funding regarding the long-term and safe storage of nuclear waste. This is not only a challenge for the producer country, but also for all those who consume the produced energy.