Bulgaria considers sending its spent nuclear fuel to Finland

Bulgaria is considering the possibility of sending spent nuclear fuel from the Kozloduy nuclear power plant to Finland for disposal. Caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov mentioned this during a parliamentary hearing on the construction of permanent storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel and hazardous radioactive waste in Bulgaria.

He noted that all countries with nuclear energy programmes were working on solutions for dealing with spent nuclear fuel in line with EU regulations. Bulgaria is studying the practices of several countries that are more advanced in this process, including Finland, Sweden, France and Switzerland. Finland, being the most advanced, is of particular interest to Bulgaria.

Regarding the construction of a geological repository for nuclear waste on Bulgarian territory, studies suggest that the most suitable conditions are to be found in northern Bulgaria, specifically in the marl massifs of the Moesian plate. However, this option has met with opposition from local residents and environmental activists.