Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant (NPP) has taken the first delivery of fresh nuclear fuel from U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric, the government in Sofia said.

In January, the plant received a permit from Bulgaria’s nuclear energy regulator to store Westinghouse Electric’s fresh Robust Westinghouse Fuel Assembly fuel type on-site, according to SeeNews.

The Nuclear Regulatory Agency granted Kozloduy NPP a permit to use the fuel, the government said in a press release.

“We plan to gradually load the first 43 cartridges of fresh nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse in Unit 5 of Kozloduy NPP in May,” energy minister Vladimir Malinov said.

In December 2022, Kozloduy signed a deal with French company Framatome for the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for its other operating reactor, Unit 6.

Earlier this month, Westinghouse Electric signed memoranda of understanding with 17 Bulgarian suppliers for their participation in the construction of two new reactors using Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology at Kozloduy NPP.

Kozloduy, Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant, operates two Soviet-made reactors of 1,000 MW each, which receive fresh nuclear fuel from Russia’s TVEL. The operational licences of these units will expire in 2027 and 2029, respectively.