Bulgaria to open national radioactive waste repository on April 14

Bulgaria will open a national radioactive waste repository on April 14, with Energy Minister Traycho Traykov set to inaugurate the facility.

Built at the Radiana platform near the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, the site is intended for processed and secured radioactive waste generated solely within Bulgaria. It will store low- and intermediate-level waste from industry, medicine, and households, as well as waste resulting from the decommissioning of Units 1–4 at Kozloduy and the operation of future nuclear facilities. However, it will not store high-level waste or spent nuclear fuel.

This is the first facility in Bulgaria designed for the long-term storage of radioactive waste. With a total capacity of 19,000 containers, it is expected to take 60 years to fill. It will remain under continuous monitoring during this time and for a further 300 years thereafter.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova