BRUSSELS — Russia is losing control over Bulgaria’s power grid to the last country it wants to see in Europe’s lucrative energy market: the U.S.
Bulgaria, which built its only nuclear power station with Soviet Union support almost 60 years ago, is now waiting on new American-developed fuel rods that it hopes will make it among the first former Warsaw Pact countries to end its decadeslong dependency on Russia.
In a statement last week, Tsanko Bachiiski, the chair of Bulgaria’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency, said the fuel, made by U.S. firm Westinghouse, is set to be shipped from Sweden in the coming month and could be loaded into unit five of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Station as early as May.
The move represents a symbolic step for Bulgaria, which has long maintained close links to Russia politically and economically. It could also mean a loss of revenue for Moscow, which has relied in part on its multibillion-dollar trade in nuclear fuel to finance two-plus years of war in Ukraine.
