The government of Bulgaria has officially authorized a derogation from the restrictive measures introduced in response to Russia's actions destabilizing the situation in Ukraine. The news was confirmed by the government's information service.

This decision enables the National Electric Company (NEK) EAD to conduct a public procurement procedure and subsequently sign a contract with the Bulgarian branch of Atomstroyexport JSC. The subject of the contract will be to provide technical supervision for the re-preservation activities of the existing equipment intended for units 1 and 2 of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant.

The need for a derogation arose because the manufacturers of the equipment in question – JSC AEM-technology, PJSC Izhorskiye Zavody, and JSC ZiO-Podolsk – have delegated exclusive rights for technical oversight to Atomstroyexport. The involvement of experts from these manufacturing companies is mandatory for these processes.

Currently, regular re-preservation activities are ongoing at the Belene NPP site, with the primary objective of ensuring that the equipment remains in a condition that fully complies with the manufacturers' technical requirements:

  • The current contract for technical supervision of the re-preservation of long-lead equipment is valid until December 31, 2026.
  • The new contract will be concluded in accordance with the Public Procurement Act.