The EBRD-administered Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund is providing two grants to support energy efficiency and security in Bulgaria.
A €19.5 million-grant will contribute to the rehabilitation and modernisation of the Maritza East 2 thermal power plant through the installation of gypsum dewatering systems for units 1-6 and construction of a cooling pump station.
The second grant worth €15 million will be provided to Mini Maritza Iztok EAD, the operator of Bulgaria’s largest lignite coalmine fields and main supplier of the Maritza East 2 power plant, to increase the energy efficiency of its mining operations.
The Maritza East 2 power plant is the largest thermal power plant in Bulgaria based on vast local deposits of lignite coal. To improve environmental standards and energy efficiency the power plant is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and rehabilitation. The EBRD has supported these efforts with loans exceeding €70 million.
The Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund is one of the three international decommissioning funds managed by the EBRD and is supporting the Bulgarian authorities with the decommissioning of units 1-4 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. The scope of the fund also includes the promotion and support of projects which modernise and improve energy use in Bulgaria.
Balthasar Lindauer, Deputy Director of the EBRD Nuclear Safety Director, said at the signing of the grant agreements: “This is an excellent example how our decommissioning funds can make an important contribution to the EBRD’s efforts to promote energy security and efficiency. Better and cleaner production is not only good for the environment but also makes sense economically due to significant savings.”
Established in 2001, the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund has received contributions from the European Community, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Units 1 and 2 of the power plant were shut down in 2002 and units 3 and 4 in 2006. Today the work of the fund is focused on financing decommissioning facilities in particular for the storage of spent fuel and the management of radioactive waste.