Kozloduy fund projects worth 120 million leva approved
Projects worth more than 120 million leva, submitted to the Kozloduy international fund, will be financed using EU funds, Bulgaria’s Economy Ministry said in a statement.
The fund was set up mainly to cover decommissioning costs of four Sovier-era nuclear units at Bulgaria’s Kozloduy power station, which Sofia was required to shut down as a condition to join the European Union in 2007. The European Commission provides the bulk of the financing for the Kozloduy international fund.
A significant proportion of the money, however, is to be used for energy efficiency projects, pending project approval by the fund’s donors. In total, the fund has been allocated 300 million euro, to be spent by 2014.
The donors have approved projects put forth by 66 Bulgarian municipalities to rehabilitate a total 217 buildings, mainly hospitals, schools and kindergartens, for a total 35.5 million euro. A separate 10.5 million euro has been approved for projects to build energy-efficient street lighting networks in 14 Bulgarian towns.
Among other major projects, Sofia’s central heating utility Toplofikatsiya Sofia will receive 1.5 million euro to finance a feasibility study for the construction of a facility that would burn pressed refuse from the city’s as-yet-unbuilt refuse processing plant.
Public tenders to carry out the approved projects are expected to begin in October and the projects’ implementation is scheduled for 2013.
