The United States keeps its position against construction of continuation of the Turkish Stream to Bulgaria and against the construction of Belene NPP. This was said by Francis R. Fannon, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S Department of State, after a meeting with Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

According to Fannon, quoted by Mediapool, these projects did not provide energy diversification to Bulgaria. In addition, Russian equipment for the second nuclear power plant was technologically obsolete.

At the same time, Washington encourages the construction of the gas connection between Bulgaria and Greece and believes that small modular reactors could be an alternative to the Belene NPP.

Fannon has made it clear that US sanctions against "Turkish Stream" would affect the continuation of the Russian gas pipeline through Bulgaria. The fact that the Bulgarian government calls it "Balkan Stream" and claims it to be part of Bulgaria's gas infrastructure does not change the nature of the project, Fannon said.