Stress Tests in Bulgaria

Progress report of the nuclear regulator

The Bulgarian national report on the EU Stress Test is available under:
http://www.ensreg.eu/documents - reports

Bulgarina NGOs Za Zemiata and FEA asked for a Bulgarian version of the progress report twice, on the end of Sept. 2011 the Bulgarian progress report was published.

The report doesn't cover Belene NPP (in construction), it is only about the existing power plant Kozloduj. In the ENSREG declaration it is said that "for plants under construction the reassessments shall refer to the licensed design".

Questions to the nuclear regulator

June 2011

Bulgarian NGOs Za Zemiata and FEA sent the following questions concerning Stress Tests to the Bulgarian Nuclear regulatory Agency on June 28th 2011:

  1. Which new scenarios which were excluded until now but after Fukushima proved to be realistic, do you ask the operator to assess? Please give us data on the new demands concerning natural disasters (flooding, extreme cold, extreme heat, snow, ice, storms, tornados, heavy rain and other extreme natural conditions.
  2. Aircraft crash: Will you demand a deterministic assessment of an aircraft crash? Which criteria will the plant have to prove to withstand?
  3. Will the seismic design basis be re-evaluated, which we consider crucial?
  4. How long is the plant able to control shut-down and cooling of the reactor and the spent fuel storage pool without external support if ultimate heat sink and power supply are not available due to external impact?
  5. Which are the responsible authorities in our country to take care of the part “terrorist attacks”?
  6. How will the public be informed about the conduct and the outcome of the tests?
  7. Will there be a seminar/workshop for NGO and independent experts while the stress tests are being conducted, e.g. in late August or September to discuss the results?

The answer FEA received on Aug 3rd was quite short, it says that the answers the NGOs are seeking can be found in the documents of ENSREG and on the site:
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/safety/stress_tests_en.htm

About the public consultations and transperency issues: public seminars will be organized for debates, and stakeholders will be invited.