Issue of buying equipment for Ukrainian Khmelnytsky NPP in Bulgaria is open, project not cancelled – minister

Ukraine has not received an official refusal from Bulgaria to sell it equipment for two Khmelnytsky NPP units No. 3,4, continues to work on the project and hopes for the active participation of the International Atomic Energy Agency in this, said the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Haluschenko.

"The issue is not closed, we have no official refusal from Bulgaria to continue negotiations. Moreover, the process has intensified. Unfortunately, there are internal political processes taking place there that have affected the slowdown of the project. But we have certain plans to push it forward. In particular, at the Rome conference in July, we are planning a corresponding decision by the IAEA, where it will act as one of the leaders of this process. The issue is open," he said during the Q&A session, as broadcast on MP Oleksiy Honcharenko's YouTube channel.

As reported, in April, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov told reporters that the reactor vessels initially intended for the Belene NPP and under negotiation with Ukraine would not be sold.

According to him, these reactors are not for sale, but are a key asset for Bulgaria, part of its energy independence.