Nuclear power is a long-term commitment that needs clear rules, public trust, trained staff and stable funding, energy minister Iva Petrova said at the 19th European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF) in Prague, the ministry said.
Bulgaria is working on new capacity at the Kozloduy nuclear plant. It is also studying what role small modular reactors could play.
Petrova took part in a panel on Europe's shared priorities in nuclear energy, which discussed rules, public attitudes and funding. Also on the panel were Céline Gauer, director-general of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy, and Tomáš Eler, director-general for nuclear energy and new technologies at the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. Marcin Nowacki, president of the TEN section of the European Economic and Social Committee, was among the participants.
The minister spoke about how to turn Europe's plans into real investment and into production that can be relied on for a long time. She said nuclear energy should be planned beyond political cycles and beyond single projects.
The ministry said Bulgaria has more than 50 years of experience with nuclear plants, a strong professional community, and established institutions and a regulator. It said projects need a predictable investment climate and a clear split of who takes which risks and responsibilities. The next generation of specialists also has to be trained.
Bulgaria is following a diversification strategy. It began with nuclear fuel supplies and is gradually extending to the other links in the chain, including maintenance of existing equipment.
Petrova believes public trust and staff training go hand in hand. The Kozloduy plant holds open days where anyone can see how it works and how safety is kept. Universities train staff for future nuclear projects, and there are framework cooperation agreements with four Bulgarian universities.
On small modular reactors, the minister said Europe can benefit from them if the right conditions are created. "We must create conditions for standardisation, repeated use of proven designs and the building of a competitive industrial ecosystem," Petrova said.
She said that if European countries work together, they will build up production, train specialists and arrange funding faster. Petrova also said the full contribution of nuclear energy to Europe's energy security, lower carbon emissions and competitiveness should be taken into account.
On 1 October, the fifth international nuclear conference and exhibition, "Nuclear Energy: From Ambition to Reality", began and ran for two days. The same day, Petrova said nuclear energy is a choice on which the country's energy security, competitiveness and future depend, BTA reported.