Nuclear power in Bulgaria

nuclearchain.net/countries/bulgaria/ · data: Global Energy Monitor (GNPT, August 2026), CC BY 4.0 · printed from the live page

Bulgaria operates 2 nuclear power reactors across 3 sites, with 2.1 GW of gross capacity. 4 units have been retired.

Operating

2.1 GW gross

Under construction

Planned

incl. 0 announced

Retired

4 cancelled

Operating1circle area ∝ site capacity Coastlines, borders and lakes: Natural Earth (1:10 million, public domain), which is generalised, so a coastal plant can sit a couple of kilometres off its true shoreline. Site positions: Global Nuclear Power Tracker.

Operating fleet by type: PWR (2).

In October 2023 the government approved building Kozloduy unit 7, an AP1000, and formally cancelled the Belene project. It says it is strongly committed to extending the life of, and uprating, Kozloduy units 5 and 6. Policy position as read on 2026-11-03: World Nuclear Association, Nuclear Power in Bulgaria (page dated 2026-02-17).

Operating capacity over time

First reactor online1974

Peak3.8 GW in 1993

Now2.1 GW 2 units

2026 so farno change

Gross capacity of units that had started up and not been permanently shut down by 31 December each year (2026 is to date). Amber marks the peak, green the present.

Data table

Year	Units online	GW gross	Change, GW
1974	1	0.44	+0.44
1975	2	0.88	+0.44
1981	3	1.32	+0.44
1982	4	1.76	+0.44
1988	5	2.80	+1.04
1993	6	3.84	+1.04
2002	4	2.96	−0.88
2006	2	2.08	−0.88

Only years in which capacity changed are listed.

Share of electricity from nuclear power

In Bulgaria, nuclear plants generated 39.1% of electricity in 2025, up from 31.6% in 2015. The share peaked at 48.1% in 2002, so it is 8.9 percentage points below its high.

Share of the country's total electricity generation that came from nuclear plants, by calendar year (1985 to 2025). Amber marks the high point, green the latest year. Source: Our World in Data from Ember and the Energy Institute, CC BY 4.0.

Data table

Year	Nuclear share, %
2025	39.1
2024	41.2
2023	40.3
2022	32.7
2021	34.9
2020	41.4
2019	37.9
2018	34.7
2017	34.7
2016	35.4
2015	31.6
2014	33.8
2013	32.9
2012	34.0
2011	32.7
2010	33.2
2009	36.1
2008	35.5
2007	34.2
2006	42.9
2005	42.5
2004	40.7
2003	40.9
2002	48.1
2001	45.0
2000	44.8
1999	41.7
1998	40.8
1997	41.7
1996	42.4
1995	41.4
1994	40.4
1993	36.9
1992	32.6
1991	32.4
1990	35.0
1989	32.9
1988	35.6
1987	28.6
1986	28.9
1985	31.5

All units in Bulgaria

Unit	Site	Status	Type	Gross MW	Online
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 5	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Operating	PWR	1,040	1988
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 6	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Operating	PWR	1,040	1993
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 7	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Pre-construction	PWR	1,000	2035
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 8	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Pre-construction	PWR	1,000	2037
Belene Original nuclear power plant 1	Belene Original nuclear power plant	Cancelled	PWR	1,000	-
Belene Original nuclear power plant 2	Belene Original nuclear power plant	Cancelled	PWR	1,000	-
Belene nuclear power plant 1	Belene nuclear power plant	Cancelled	-	1,000	-
Belene nuclear power plant 2	Belene nuclear power plant	Cancelled	-	1,000	-
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 1	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Retired	PWR	440	1974
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 2	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Retired	PWR	440	1975
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 3	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Retired	PWR	440	1981
Kozloduy nuclear power plant 4	Kozloduy nuclear power plant	Retired	PWR	440	1982

Fuel supply exposure

The fuel families Bulgaria's operating reactors take, and the fabricators our sources document as able to make each. This is capability, not contracts: it does not say who actually supplies a given plant.

Fuel family	Units	GW gross	Documented fabricators	Note
VVER (hexagonal) fuel	2	2.1	TVEL Fuel Company, Westinghouse Electric Company

See every country and who fabricates fuel.

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Sources

Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06
Nuclear share of electricity: Our World in Data, from Ember and the Energy Institute , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-28

How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data