Westinghouse grows Bulgarian supply chain

Friday, 16 May 2025

The agreements establish the potential for supplying a variety of products and services including cranes, logistics and transportation, electrical and industrial equipment, instrumentation and control equipment, and piping, and are a direct result of the Westinghouse Bulgaria Supplier Symposium held earlier this month, Westinghouse said.

The seven suppliers - Balkansko Echo EOOD, Bon Marine Ltd, Contragent 35 Ltd, El Kontrol EOOD, ELPROM Heavy Industries JSC, Kozloduy Ltd and Zekalabs Ltd - join the 30 Bulgarian suppliers with which Westinghouse has already signed MoUs as part of its "buy where we build" philosophy of localisation. The Kozloduy project will also provide Bulgarian firms the opportunity to support other AP1000 projects in Europe and globally.

"We continue to make excellent progress on our Engineering Services Contract to deliver two advanced AP1000 reactors at the Kozloduy site, thanks in large part to the deeply experienced Bulgarian nuclear supply chain," said Westinghouse Energy Systems President Dan Lipman. "With this supply chain expansion, we look to tap into the expertise of local construction, electrical and logistics suppliers, which will be critical in delivering the project on time and on budget."

Kozloduy is home to two operating VVER-1000 reactors that were connected to the grid in 1987 and 1991, respectively, and together provide around a third of Bulgaria's electricity. Both units have been through refurbishment and life-extension programmes to enable extension of operation from 30 to 60 years. Four older VVER-230 units were closed ahead of Bulgaria joining the European Union in 2007.

The USA and Bulgaria signed an intergovernmental agreement to cooperate on the development of Bulgaria's civil nuclear programme, including the plan for the new units at Kozloduy, in early 2024, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Westinghouse and Kozloduy NPP-New Builds signed an engineering contract in November. The aim is for unit 7 to be operational in 2035 and unit 8 in 2037.

The symposium held in Sofia on 1 May was the second held in Bulgaria by Westinghouse to provide a forum for regional suppliers to learn more about supporting the Kozloduy AP1000 project. It was attended by more than 150 attendees from 60 companies and industry organisations, as well as speakers including Bulgaria’s Minister of Energy Zhecho Stankov who said the project is key to the country’s energy security and independence. Kozloduy unit 7 will be the first AP1000 to be built in Europe, and will be "key to preserving and expanding Bulgaria's role as a strategic hub for the production of sustainable, emission-free energy at competitive prices in Southeast Europe", he said.

Article researched and written by WNN's Claire Maden