21st edition of the International Nuclear Conference organized by Bulatom under the title "BULGARIAN ATOMIC ENERGY - NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ENERGY SECURITY", took place on Juny 5-7 at the Riviera Vacation Club, near city of Varna.
More than 270 representatives of 64 Bulgarian and foreign companies, institutions and organizations took part in the conference.
The diplomatic corps in Bulgaria was represented by 11 embassies, including the ambassadors of France, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, the deputy heads of missions of Denmark and Korea, as well as economic advisers in the embassies of the United States, Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Canada.
This year, 34 students and professors from specialties related to nuclear energy from Sofia University, Technical University - Sofia and UNWE took part in the conference.
At the opening of the forum, the Minister of Energy, Mr. Vladimir Malinov, emphasized the key role of nuclear energy and stressed that "our country will continue to rely on the reliable and safe operation of nuclear power plants, which provide emission-free production at reasonable prices and fully in line with the challenges of the European Green Deal'. According to Minister Malinov, "The project for the construction of new nuclear capacities at the site of the Kozloduy NPP, together with the diversification of the fuel, is the most significant for the Bulgarian economy. It will fulfill one of Bulgaria's strategic goals in the context of energy transformation - the transition to low-emission and sustainable energy sources."
In the late afternoon of the first day, the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rumen Radev, joined the work of the conference, who in his speech stated that "For the first time, the producers of energy from nuclear power plants have united at the international level in Dubai, for to oppose prejudices regarding nuclear energy and this is the greatest success - to recognize the role of the peaceful atom for the future of the planet", he also emphasized that "Bulgaria is proud to have half a century of experience in safe , stable, reliable operation of nuclear facilities, and that entirely with its own highly qualified staff".
During the three days of the conference, the participants not only had the opportunity to exchange experience, show the achievements of their companies, learn about the nuclear energy development plans of other European countries, but also got acquainted with the upcoming stages of project development for the construction of units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP, with Westinghouse's AP1000 project and Hyundai Engineering & Construction's experience in the design and construction of nuclear power plants. The financial panel held at the end of the third day of the conference also attracted great interest. Leading international and Bulgarian experts participated on site and online to discuss and present their views on how to secure funding for a proven technology contributing to sustainable development and energy security, which is, however, highly dependent on price, construction and political risk - such as is nuclear energy.
At the closing of the conference, the Chairman of the Management Board of Bulatom, Dr. Eng. Bogomil Manchev, thanked all the participants in the conference for the fruitful work, for the high level of the presentations and interesting debates. He expressed his and everyone present's optimism for the development of Bulgarian nuclear energy, through the construction of units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP.
Bulatom expresses its gratitude to all the speakers and participants in the conference, as well as to the companies that helped organize and conduct it: „Kozloduy NPP“ EAD, „Kozloduy NPP - New Powers“ EAD, Westinghouse, Framatome, Siemens Energy, Jensen Hughes, Excel Services Corporation, Marsh McLennan, Çiltuğ Inc., Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Tita-Consult, KMS and GCR.