The U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, H.E. Kenneth Merten, hosted a meeting attended by the Ministry of Energy, higher education representatives, the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, and regulatory authorities. Present were the Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Delyan Dobrev. They discussed with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner David Wright and his team. The Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev participated the event.

The NRC and the Bulgarian regulator are already collaborating on knowledge exchange and best practices in the licensing and oversight of new nuclear reactors. The discussions also focused on ensuring a capable human resource for the safe use and implementation of nuclear technologies in Bulgaria.

"Our cooperation with the U.S. in the field of nuclear energy is a key factor in ensuring energy security not only in Bulgaria but also in the entire Southeast European region", said Minister Vladimir Malinov during his talks with David Wright.

Minister Malinov highlighted the active efforts of both countries to diversify Bulgaria's energy sector as a leading priority of this cooperation. "For the first time in its fifty-year history, the fifth unit of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant is loaded with alternative fuel from Westinghouse", the energy minister emphasized, highlighting the multiple benefits of these efforts for the security of the energy sector. "After the successful implementation and sustainable operation of Unit 5 with fuel from the American company Westinghouse, the possibility of using several fuel assemblies of the same fuel for Unit 6 of the nuclear power plant is currently being considered”, Minister Malinov added. During the discussion, the two agreed that the exchange of experience and know-how between experts from both countries in the field of nuclear energy should continue actively.

Minister Malinov also informed Mr. Wright of Bulgaria's interest in developing small modular reactor technologies as a flexible option for complementing the energy mix and ensuring energy security and independence.

The contacts between Bulgaria and the U.S. regarding the project for the construction of a new nuclear facility at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant site were also among the topics discussed between Minister Malinov and David Wright. The energy minister stressed the need for the construction of new nuclear capacities at the Kozloduy site to be realized as quickly as possible. According to him, the choice of the American Westinghouse company's AP 1000 technology and the global leader in nuclear block construction, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, is a guarantee for the successful implementation of the project.

The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration prepares students qualified in energy studies through its master's programs "Energy Markets and Services" and "Nuclear Technologies, Management, and Innovations", which is conducted in English and is a joint program with the Faculty of Physics at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski."