Spain’s Iberdrola Eyes Nuclear/Renewable Energy Opportunities in Bulgaria

Spanish energy group Iberdrola is interested in nuclear and renewable energy projects in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian government said on Wednesday.

Iberdrola, together with U.S. nuclear power firm Westinghouse, is considering opportunities for joint projects in the country, the Bulgarian government’s information service said in a statement, quoting Iberdrola Ingenieria chairman Ramon de Miguel.

The Iberdrola executive met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev earlier on Wednesday.

Westinghouse has been involved in upgrades at Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant Kozloduy, the statement said.

Kozloduy has two operating reactors of 1,000 megawatts (MW) each. It closed a second pair of 440-MW units at the end of 2006 to allay nuclear safety concerns of the European Union which Bulgaria joined in 2007. The first pair of 440-MW reactors at the plant was closed down in 2002.

Bulgaria has also launched a project for the construction of a 2,000 MW nuclear power plant at Belene, on the Danube river.

Iberdrola Ingenieria is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Group.

Last year Iberdrola signed an agreement to build together with five other partners two reactors at Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear plant. It also agreed to build 50 wind projects, totalling around 1,600 megawatts, in southeastern Romania.

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