A short Belene chronology

28. 5. 2007
Greenpeace

1981 – The Bulgarian Government decides to build six nuclear power stations of the VVER
1000/320 design near the town of Belene in North Bulgaria.
1985 – First work on the Belene Nuclear Power Station starts.

1981 – The Bulgarian Government decides to build six nuclear power stations of the VVER
1000/320 design near the town of Belene in North Bulgaria.
1985 – First work on the Belene Nuclear Power Station starts.
1989 – The Communist Party is removed from power by a popular uprising.
1990 – The Bulgarian Academy of Science issues a “white book”1 with the conclusion that the
Belene NPP project should be dropped for economic, environmental and social reasons.
1991 – The Belene project is put on hold by the Bulgarian Government. Four of the originally
planned six reactor blocks are definitely dropped.
1992 – The Bulgarian cabinet decides to stop the Belene project.
1997 – The Bulgarian Government decides to completely drop the Belene NPP for economic and
environmental reasons.
6 April 2003 – Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon of Saxony-Coburg-Gotha announces that the
Belene NPP will be revisited – proposed are two blocks. Energy Minister Milko Kovachev plays a
large role in the re-starting of the project.
2004 – An Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out without a clear idea about the
reactor design to be used. After 4 public hearings in Bulgaria and 1 in Romania, Greenpeace and
WISE/NIRS bring out an analysis of the process of these hearings and advise the Bulgarian
Ministry of Environment to dismiss the results on the basis of open manipulations2. Bulgarian and
Romanian NGOs as well as international organisations (Greenpeace, CEE Bankwatch network,
EEB) heavily criticize the quality and conclusions of the EIA report.
April 2004 – The Bulgarian Government takes a decision to restart the Belene NPP project.
Ekoglasnost / Friends of the Earth Bulgaria, CEE Bankwatch, members of the BeleNE! coalition
and Greenpeace appeal this decision in court.
Autumn 2004 – The Bulgarian Government publishes a bribing attempt by the Canadian NPP
builder AECL. AECL in turn accuses the Bulgarian Government of malversations in the preparation
of the Belene NPP project that put Russian designs at an advantage. The total of interested
bidders drops from five with seven different designs to two bidders with two (Russian) designs.
December 2004 – The Bulgarian Ministry of Environment approves the EIA report. The BeleNE!
coalition, Ekoglasnost / FoE Bulgaria, Greenpeace and WISE appeal on the basis of manipulations
and grave content mistakes. The EIA does not address seismic conditions properly, it does not
address heavy accidents, it does not properly describe environmental impacts, it does not address
front-end (fuel) and back-end (waste and decommissioning) problems, it does not address relevant.
December 2004 – Veteran Belene opponent, 1996 Goldman award winner and local organic
farmer Albena Simeonova receives death threats. In February 2005 the threats are delivered
personally and Simeonova receives body-guard protection until the end of the year. She and her
farm are constantly harassed until halfway 2006.
April 2005 – Second Government decision to build Belene. Ekoglasnost / FoE Bulgaria,
Greenpeace and WISE appeal.
June 2005 – The Bulgarian utility NEK issues a tender for the architect / builder of the project.
The project is supposed to deliver electricity for a price of under 0,04 ? / kWh and estimated to
need between 2,5 and 4 Billion ? of investments.
27 July, 2005 – A new, Socialist led government comes to power in Bulgaria. Economy Minister
Milko Kovachev is replaced by Rumen Ovcharov, a former nuclear physicist who receives 3/4 of
his monthly salary from nuclear industry related sources1
December 2005 – In a written submission to court, the authors of the EIA report concede that the
report is flawed and a new EIA will be necessary once a design and builder are chosen. This never
happens, not even after the choice of a construction consortium and design in October 2006.
31 January 2006 – The consortia Atomstroyexport / Areva NP and Skoda Alliance submit their
bids. Proposed are reactor designs of the VVER 1000/320 or VVER 1000/466B type. It becomes
clear that both consortia are led by Gazprom-owned companies. Discussions in the Bulgarian
media about lack of a proper tender process. Links are made to Bulgaria's gas-deals with
Gazprom.
April 2006 – Economy and Energy Minister Ovcharov announces that Bulgaria is planning to
provide a State guarantee for a 300 Million ? loan from Euratom. Euratom denies all contacts.
May 2006 – Economy and Energy Minister Ovcharov claims support from IAEA president
Muhamed El Baradei. The IAEA denies this.
June 2006 – The Macedonian NGO EcoSvest files a complaint at the Sofia High Administrative
Court because Macedonia was not informed of the project under the Espoo Convention and
EcoSvest therefore had no chance to participate properly in the Environmental Impact Assessment
procedure. To date, the procedure is ongoing.
July 2006 – The tender decision for the builder is postponed because the bids are too expensive
and the time-lines too long. A new decision is scheduled for the first half of September 2006.
May – August 2006 – A group of NGOs (Greenpeace, urgewald, Bankwatch, the BeleNE!
Coalition) addresses banks on their reported interest in the Belene project. Bayerische
Landesbank and KBC / ČSOB deny competely any interest; Societй Gйnerale / Komerčnн Banka
denies their reported participation in the Škoda Alliance. Commerzbank pulls back its interest after
the project is criticized at their AGM. CitiGroup, HVB and UniCredit state they are only interested
under strict conditions. NGO pressure on Deutsche Bank, CitiGroup, HVB and UniCredit continues.
24 September 2006 – Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov says at a
conference that a tender winner has been chosen and that an official announcement will follow
within “a few days”. Russian media indicate that Atomstroyexport has been chosen.
11 October – Wallstreet rating agency Standard & Poor's downrates the Bulgarian utility NEK
Friday 13 October – Activists in 23 countries protest at branch offices of banks belonging to the
UniCredit Group against the Group's interest in financing the Belene nuclear power project.
19 October – German watchdog organisation urgewald receives a letter from Deutsche Bank
announcing that it withdraws its interest in Belene for economic reasons.
20 October – Urgewald receives an e-mail from UniCredit Group's daughter HVB that UniCredit
Group withdraws its interest in Belene for economic reasons.
30 October 2006 – Bulgarian utility NEK announces the Atomstroyexport / Areva NP consortium
as winner of the tender for building.
31 October 2006 – During a press conference, NEK announces that Atomstroyexport / Areva
NP will build two completely new nuclear power stations of the AES-92 type with VVER 1000/B466
reactors for a contract price of 3,997 Billion Euro. The final contract signing is announced for May
2007.
Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse – First Boston, Lehman Brothers,
Merill Lynch & Co, Gazprombank and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are mentioned as
possibly interested in financing the project. After a telephone call by Greenpeace, Deutsche Bank
explicitly denies interest.
09 November 2006 – Reuters mentions a completely new pool of possible interested financiers.
These are all Russian banks: Gazprombank, Sberbank, VTB and Vnesheconombank.
21 November 2006 – Economy and Energy Minister Ovcharov again claims that he has been
promised a 300 Million Euro Euratom loan for Belene. Euratom denies all contact with the
Bulgarian authorities. The Bulgarian press does not question Ovcharov's claims.
1 December 2006 – The Ministry of Economy and Energy announces that Belene will be built by
an independent entity, later indicated as the Power Company Belene (PCB), owned 51% by state
owned utility NEK and 49% by one or more strategic investors. As interested investors Germany's
E.ON, Czech CEZ, Italy's Enel, Spain's Iberdrola and Russia's RAO UES are mentioned. In May
2007, it is announced that the strategic investor or investors are expected to bring at least 2 Billion
? in capital into the project. Minister Ovcharov stresses that the project will not receive any state
funds.
December 2006 – Greenpeace and the BeleNE! coalition contact JP Morgan Chase, BNP Paribas,
Credit Suisse – First Boston, Lehman Brothers and Merill Lynch & Co. All banks with the exception
of BNP Paribas react by stating they were not interested or withdrawing their interest from the
Belene project.
21 December 2006 – Greenpeace and the BeleNE! coalition find that there is illegal building
activity on the Belene site. Since the EIA report still is on hold in court, no building permit can be
issued. Construction of one building on the western side of the site continued in April 2007. The
BeleNE! coalition post a complaint to the building inspection in Pleven.
31 December 2006 – Bulgaria closes the reactors 3 and 4 of the Kozloduy nuclear power
plant, as agreed in the EU accession treaty. These reactors are of the type VVER 440/230 and are
considered not upgradeable to a satisfying safety level. Bulgarian authorities and politicians run an
active PR campaign to either keep these reactors open or have them re-opened after EU
accession, even though it would require unanimous support from the former EU 25 states to reopen
negotiations and several countries have indicated they would veto such a step. Analysts
believe that the Kozloduy 3,4 discussions are meant to put pressure on the EU in case of a request
for Euratom funds for Belene. Predicted electricity shortages in Bulgaria or other Balkan countries
do not materialise, although the Bulgarian government claims to have statements in that direction
from political leaders in the region.
January – Greenpeace informs Russian media with pictures about the bad condition of material on
the Belene site that is stored from the original project, but not compatible with the new set-up.
Second circuit pressure vessels that were in good condition when Atomstroyexport was chosen as
constructor appear to have heavily corroded in the meantime.
25 January 2007 – NEK opens a t ender for a 250 Million ? loan to cover preparation costs and
the first building activity. In March the government reports that 11 banks reacted to the tender, but
names are kept secret on request of the involved banks. The final result is to be announced in
early April.
25 January 2007 – The High Administrative Court dismisses the complaints of a group of
individuals, member organisations of the BeleNE! coalition, WISE and Greenpeace against the
Environmental Impact Assessment report and process. The verdict is – contrary to the law – given
without any argumentation and no further appeal is possible. The EIA controversy is not closed,
however, as the court case by the Macedonian NGO EcoSvest under the Espoo Convention is still
pending.
23 February 2007 – Bulgaria announces in a letter to the EU Commission the planned
construction of a nuclear power station according to Article 41 of the Euratom Treaty. Such an
announcement has to be filed at least three months before construction starts and is necessary for
a possible later application for a Euratom loan. The European Commission will study the
documentation of the planned project and give its opinion. This opinion is a pre-requisite for the
start of construction.
12 April 2007 – During a meeting of Balkan presidents at lake Ohrid, Bulgarian president
Parvanov tries to mobilize broader support for the Belene project. Originally published support from
the Macedonian president Branko Crvenkovski is later (11 May) vehemently denied by his cabinet.
24 April 2007 – Signing of the construction contract with Atomstroyexport is postponed to
the end of the year. Reasons mentioned include lack of clarity about the financing of the project.
Also negotiations about which non-compatible equipment from the former Belene project will be
taken over by Atomstroyexport are delayed because of disagreement about quality and prices.
26 April 2007 – The 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe sees protests against the
Belene NPP on both sides of the Danube. The protests draw wide attention from the Romanian
press, but the Bulgarian press ignores them.
07 May 2007 – Atomstroyexport issues bonds for 43 Million ? in order to pre-finance its
participation in the construction of the Belene NPP.
14 May 2007 – The French bank BNP Paribas is announced as winner of the tender for a 250
Million ? loan to finance the first year of planning and construction work on Belene. Former Energy
Minister Milko Kovachev is bankrolled as BNP Paribas advisor. Signing of the contract is
announced for early June. The announcement falls at a time when Energy and Economy Minister
Ovcharov is temporarily dismissed from his position because of corruption allegations.