The unit of Russia's AtomStroyExport hired to build a new nuclear capacity at the Danube town of Belene has signed a contract with the Euromin Build consortium, the company said in response to a Dnevnik inquiry. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

On August 18, the consortium and grid operator NEK denied participation in the project.

The consortium is co-owned by Eurobuild and Minstroy Holding. Ministroy, which has a 30 per cebt stake in the tie-in, is majority-owned by Nikolai Vulkanov. Eurobuild is believed to be affiliated with Lyudmil Stoikov, a local businessman investigated for alleged embezzlement of European Union funds from the Sapard programme.

In a report issued by Olaf, the EU's anti-fraud office, Stoikov was named as a donor to the re-election campaign of Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov in 2006. Minstroy, for its part, contributed 25 000 leva to the election campaign of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

The Euromin Build consortium was selected in pursuance to NEK criteria, AtomStroyExport said. Under NEK's agreement with the Russian company, the utility has the last say on the list of subcontractior that will be hired for the project.

NEK has approved the hiring of a consortium comprising Energoremont Holding, Enemona, Montazhi, Balkanstroy and Minstroy Holding to dismantle equipment delivered to the Belene site before the project was mothballed in the early 1990s.

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