Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear plant begins maintenance on unit 6
Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant, at Kozloduy on the Danube River, said on September 22 that it has shut down the 1000MW sixth unit for scheduled annual maintenance and refuelling.
The reactor was expected to be reconnected to the power grid at the end of October, the plant said in a statement. The other 1000MW unit at Kozloduy was working at full capacity, the plant said.
As part of the routine maintenance shutdown, the plant would carry out “planned repairs, system checks and refuelling the reactor for the next, 26th consecutive, year of operation.”
This year, the maintenance activities would carried out with “strict observation of preventive measures aiming to limit the risk of Covid-19 infection,” the statement said.
The plant’s employees would have their body temperature measured when entering the premises and they will also have to use personal protection equipment. Working spaces would be routinely disinfected and work has been organised in shifts in order to minimise personal contacts and maintain social distancing.
Staff from third-party subcontractors participating in the maintenance work would only be allowed on the plant’s premises if they have had a negative PCR test result within 72 hours before beginning work, the statement said.
Kozloduy now has two 1000MW operational units, although there have been intermittent talks over the past decade to add another 1000MW reactor to the plant. Bulgaria shut down four older and smaller reactors, 440MW each, prior to joining the European Union in 2007.
(Photo: Kozloduy nuclear power plant)
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