westinghouse Electric has extended its agreement with Bulgaria’s Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild for the construction of two new AP1000 reactors at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) site.

This extension of the front-end engineering and design contract is pivotal for the project’s advancement, which includes nuclear fuel diversification and operational support at Kozloduy.

Kozloduy NPP began its partnership with Westinghouse in June 2023 with an initial front end engineering design contract, aimed at evaluating infrastructure at the Kozloduy site for deploying two AP1000 reactors.

Following the completion of this phase, the project will progress to engineering services, comprising design, licensing, training, project management and site planning ahead of construction.

In early 2024, Westinghouse delivered and reloaded the first VVER-1000 fuel into KNPP Unit 5 at Kozloduy NPP under a ten-year supply contract.

The AP1000 reactor’s features include fully passive safety systems, modular construction and the smallest footprint per MW on the market.

In China, four AP1000 reactors are setting operational performance records, with an additional eight under construction and four more contracted. The Vogtle site in Georgia, US, also has two operating AP1000 units.

The technology has also been chosen for nuclear energy programmes in Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria, with considerations in Central and Eastern Europe, the UK, India and North America.

18 units based on AP1000 technology will be in operation worldwide by 2030.

Westinghouse Energy Systems president Dan Lipman stated: “Westinghouse is committed to the Kozloduy project and to further strengthening and leveraging Bulgaria’s supply chain to support this critical project for the Balkans and others across Europe.

“We appreciate the close collaboration with Kozloduy NPP-Newbuild and look forward to taking the next important steps to Bulgaria’s energy security.”