The French authorities have never insisted that Bulgaria close down the nuclear power plant in Kozlodui, or all of its reactors, said a press release from the French Embassy in Sofia distributed last Friday.

The clarification from the embassy followed a statement by Member of European Parliament Catherine Guy-Quint, who said at the 13th session of the joint Bulgaria-EU parliamentary committee on October 30, that all units of the Kozlodui plant must be decommissioned within a sensible timeframe.

"France will by no means make a compromise with safety, be it for Bulgaria or any other country," Guy-Quint said. She quoted experts from Electricite de France (EDF) as saying the Bulgarian nuclear power plant cannot go on functioning as it is.

Yordan Kostadinov, executive director of the Kozlodui nuclear power plant, immediately responded that the plant has attained European standards through numerous technical and technological improvements in line with the requirements for upgrading of its nuclear and operational safety, and its operation was reliable.

Kostadinov cited conclusions of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency who visited Bulgaria on missions during the past two years. He said he was shocked by Guy-Quint's statement and added that a representative of the EDF was surprised as well.

In November 1999, Bulgaria and the European Commission signed a memorandum according to which the oldest reactors of the plant in Kozlodui, one and two, have to be decommissioned by the end of 2002. The deadline for Bulgaria to offer a decision on the closing date of units three and four is also the end of 2002, but these reactors should not function beyond 2006.

EDF specialists expressed readiness to provide assistance for the decommissioning of units one and two and offered consultations on setting the exploitation terms of units three and four.

The French electricity company is also ready to help Kozlodui in the management of a several hundred million dollar modernization program, which will secure the upgrade of units five and six.

After Western-made electronic equipment is installed and all sensors are replaced, these reactors will be just as safe and reliable as the French ones, said Tinko Ganchev, acting chairman of the Committee on the Use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes.

Through French companies and European financial institutions, France has always provided direct technical and financial assistance to the plant and the Bulgarian engineers, so as to ensure the risk-free operation of the facility, said the press release.