Prof. Atanas Tasev: Balanced US and Russian presence in energy projects on Bulgarian territory

published on 11/26/13 11:01 AM

Photo: BGNES

The US Westinghouse company will construct a 7th nuclear unit at the Kozloduy NPP. General Electric will take part in the building of two units of the Maritza Iztok 2 TPP. “This comes to show that American companies have huge interests in the Bulgarian energy sector,” Economy Minister Dragomir Stoynev comments, after his return from the USA. At the same time Bulgaria takes a key position in major energy projects of Russia in the spheres of nuclear energy and gas supplies.

Is Bulgaria really turning into a place, where a serious geopolitical clash is to be witnessed, involving the energy interests of the USA and Russia, as claimed by famous energy expert Prof. Atanas Tasev? Will there be a balance between these interests and what can be this country’s profit in such an energy war? “American technology will be used exactly in the name of balance,” Prof. Tasev says. He claims that the Westinghouse project is more like a political one and not so economic. Thus two different types of technology will be used: two Russian and an American unit with Russian and American nuclear fuel.

Is there a deal between Washington and Moscow?
“What happens in Bulgaria is a replica of global geopolitical processes,” Prof. Tasev told a RB reporter. “Nothing happened in energy projects for a long time due to the serious clash between the two great powers. Now obviously there is some new talk and agreement between them, because things are really getting accelerated. Westinghouse was an advisability consultant on the 7th unit’s construction and technology selection. Of course, the American company would opt for its own unit…”

What is the balance so far? Three units for the Americans, South Stream gas pipeline for the Russians… However, what about Belene NPP? Shale gas ambitions of US companies may also enter the game…

“This is a much more complicated scenario,” Prof. Tasev comments. “General Electric wants to supply South Stream with compressor stations and to transit very serious powers – 41 bln. m3 of gas. Besides that, they show interest towards the 9th and 10th unit of Maritza Iztok 2 TPP. So, both parties expect great profits here. Obviously, we won’t see a 50 / 50, but a kind of a balance. When we speak now on the 7th unit and Westinghouse’s AP-1000 model, suddenly nobody asks if we need this NPP, where the electricity will be sold and at what price etc.. Obviously we have a pretty serious deal here…”

We remain a territory for experiments – the initial Kozloduy NPP units were experimental, now the new Westinghouse unit will be the first of this kind in Europe…
“This is the great breakthrough of Westinghouse in Bulgaria,” the professor confirms. “It is not so experimental, because two units of that kind are currently being constructed in the US state of Georgia and in China. The unit has not been licensed in Europe yet, it has far more serious requirements due to the pretty thick population.”

“Bad peace is better than any good war,” Prof. Tasev says, adding that in his opinion the new project will make profit for this country.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

По публикацията работи: Tanya Harizanova

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Prof. Atanas Tasev: Balanced US and Russian presence in energy projects on Bulgarian territory

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