SOFIA, Bulgaria, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Bulgaria will shut down two nuclear reactors to join the European Union, though the move is being called political and not based on safety.
Novinite.com, the Sofia News Agency, reports Bulgaria will shut reactors 3 and 4 of its northeast Kozloduy plant by the end of the year.
The move is required by the EU, which Bulgaria is to join Jan. 1, which says the VVER 440-230 reactors are dangerous and can't be upgraded affordably.
Bulgaria supplies the largest share of electricity to the Balkans, and will loose 880 megawatts of generating capacity altogether with the shut down.
Kiril Nikolov, production director of the plant, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the European Commission's nuclear security arm gave the reactors' status a "positive opinion."
Bulgaria already turned off two old reactors at Kozloduy in 2002 as part of EU acceptance.
It has two 1,000 megawatt reactors in operation still.
Earlier this year Bulgaria signed a deal with Atomstroyexport, Russia's nuclear export arm, to build two more 1,000 megawatt reactors.
Vladimir Branov, an operator at reactor 3, said "purely political criteria have been applied" to the decision.
The EU has given Bulgaria $725 million in compensation for the four reactor shut down.
