SOFIA, Bulgaria, May 10 (UPI) -- At a time of record high global oil prices, many countries are reconsidering nuclear energy.
Bulgaria recently experienced a problem, described by Bulgarian nuclear physicist Georgi Kaschiev as "a serious security system failure," at its Kozloduy nuclear power plant, its sole nuclear installation.
Sofia news agency reported on May 8 that Bulgaria's Nuclear Regulatory Agency announced that the March accident at Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant was officially rated Level Two according to the International Nuclear Events Scale after initially grading it Level Zero. Level Seven is the most serious.
NRA head Sergey Tsochev said that the event's rating was increased after taking into account various additional factors, including equipment failure.
In December 2002 Bulgaria began decommissioning some of Kozloduy's six reactors after the European Union pressured Bulgaria to close four of the site's reactors for safety reasons. Kozloduy is on the Danube, 125 miles north of the capital Sofia.
Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) called Tuesday for the resignation of Economy and Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov over the incident.
