The SMRs in Bulgaria are expected to be deployed by the Americans, with NuScale Power having just signed an agreement with NPP-NB. More precisely, Nuscale Power and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant New Build (NPP-NB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This should enable them to consider the deployment of Nuscale’s SMR technology at the Kozloduy power plant site. These small nuclear reactors have been experiencing renewed interest for some time.
SMRs in Bulgaria from the United States
Deploying RMS in Bulgaria still needs to be studied. The two partners NuScale and NPP-NB will therefore conduct studies to establish a cost estimate. But also a project schedule with deliverables. NuScale is still working on its production tool in order to deliver a first SMR module by 2027.
77 MW NuScale Power Modules
The U.S. company has developed a new model of light water reactor plant composed of small modular reactors (SMR). These SMRs, called “NuScale Power Module”, are each capable of generating 77 MW. The plants can accommodate a flexible number of them. This reduces the financial commitment compared to installations with gigawatt capacity.
Energy transition in Bulgaria
The Kozloduy site houses the only active nuclear power plants in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Council of Ministers has decided to extend the capacity of the site so that it can contribute to the country’s energy transition. The company NPP-NB, which was created to study the different development paths, sees many advantages in the NuScale technology.
