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Until 2020
After 2020
The Energy Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria until 2020, adopted in 2011, does not discuss in detail the construction of new nuclear facilities in the country, except for the confirmation of the plans for construction of 2000 MW of new nuclear facilities.
For this purpose, the strategy provides for institutional support and monitoring of projects of strategic importance for energy security, including the one for the new nuclear power plant, as a project with a predominant participation of foreign investors.
The planned deadlines for the commissioning of such capacity are not specified, but the estimates of the energy balance of the country, presented in the strategy, provide for an increase in electricity production from nuclear power plants by 14.7 TWh (in the period 2010 - 2015) up to 22.3 TWh (in 2020) and subsequently up to 30 TWh (in 2030).
The implementation of the Strategy for Sustainable Energy Development of the Republic of Bulgaria until 2030, with a horizon until 2050, which is presented for discussion in the National Assembly is directly dependent on the successful implementation of new nuclear facilities in the country.
The strategy sets out common European policies and objectives for energy development and climate change mitigation, reflecting national specificities in the field of energy resources, energy production, transmission and distribution.
As emphasized in the strategy, the European Commission's Clean Planet for All Europeans document, which analyzes possible ways to decarbonise the European economy, states that the EU's climate-neutral energy system in 2050 will be based mainly on renewable energy sources and on nuclear energy.
The strategy emphasizes that nuclear energy plays an important role in ensuring national, regional and European energy security, while providing energy at affordable prices and being a key element in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Accordingly, nuclear energy, as a proven emissions-free resource, is and remains a key element in the structure of the country's energy balance.
Respectively, the strategy declares that the state will continue to support the development of nuclear energy in the country, including by providing institutional assistance for the implementation of an investment project for the construction of two new nuclear units, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW, to be gradually put in operation after 2030.
The strategy does not refer to a specific site on which the implementation of the said investment project for the construction of two new nuclear units is envisaged.