Bulgaria nuclear plant shut for repairs

Nov 26,2007 00:00 by UPI
SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's only nuclear power plant has been closed for repairs but it poses no radioactive danger, plant officials said.

The No. 6 reactor at the Kozloduy plant on the Danube River was shut down immediately after officials spotted damage on a pipeline Saturday, the Sofia News Agency reported Monday.

The damage did not cause any radioactive leakage, officials said.

Reactors 5 and 6 are the only two units still operating in the Soviet-made plant.

Bulgaria had to close down outdated reactors 1 and 2 in 2003 and late last year it closed reactors 3 and 4 because of safety concerns before the country joined the European Union in January.

The 5 and 6 reactors are of a more modern design.

Last month, the European Commission approved Bulgaria's plan to build a second nuclear power plant at Belene on the Danube, east of Kozloduy.

The Belene plant will use two 1,000-megawatt, light-water reactors to be built by Russia's Atomstroyexport company.