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Belene Plant Axing Final

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria abandoned plans to build a second 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in the Danube town of Belene with Russian firm Atomstroyexport, Vladislav Goranov, Bulgaria's deputy finance minister, said Wednesday after a government meeting.

He said a natural gas power plant would be built there instead.

Goranov said one of the two 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactors already assembled by Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport and originally meant for Belene would be placed in Bulgaria's sole nuclear power plant, Kozloduy, boosting its capacity to 3,000 megawatts. Bulgaria's newly appointed economy and energy minister, Delyan Dobrev, is scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to talk to Russian officials about the decision.

(AP)

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