Soviet reactors for silicon dreams: Bulgaria snubs Ukraine in bid for AI future

Bulgaria’s ruling coalition has blocked the sale of two Russian nuclear reactors to Ukraine, hoping the site will instead attract Silicon Valley money to build massive AI and data centres.

The reactors in question are VVER-1000 units that were initially purchased from Russia’s Atomstroyexport in 2016 for €601 million.

They were intended for Bulgaria's long-abandoned Belene nuclear power plant, a decades-old project near the Danube that cost over €1 billion in public funds but was ultimately shelved due to financial, political and geopolitical concerns.

But instead of offloading the equipment to Ukraine as was decided in 2023 - where the reactors would match infrastructure at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant - Sofia sees a new opportunity domestically.

"The top three global investment funds" have expressed interest in using the reactors’ site for large-scale AI and data centres, centre-right GERB party leader Boyko Borissov, a central figure in Bulgaria’s pro-European coalition, said on Wednesday.

According to him, representatives of these funds asked Bulgaria to postpone its decision to sell the reactors to Ukraine, as they needed time for further talks with US President Donald Trump on possible investments.

“We have the best infrastructure, the best electricity grid and a skilled workforce. We already have a nuclear site under development,” said Borissov.

But experts note that Bulgaria lacks the means to independently develop new nuclear capacity using Russian equipment, especially given current EU sanctions.

The only possible workaround could be France's Framatome, which operates a joint venture with Russia's Rosatom.

Betting on AI

Instead of pushing ahead with selling the reactors to Ukraine, Borissov wants to use his country's existing nuclear infrastructure and stable electricity grid to attract investment from major US tech firms.

“Let’s wait. We have the option to sell the reactors – next month or in five months,” Borissov said, floating the idea of pausing the sale to allow time for high-level talks.

In the meantime, "I want to speak with President Trump, Elon Musk, Microsoft, Bill Gates. If they’re interested and we can make this happen," he said.

"I don’t believe there’s a single Bulgarian who would oppose having the world’s most powerful AI infrastructure here," he added.

Borissov hopes the symbolism – and the country – will appeal to Silicon Valley's big players, while the unused Russian reactors will serve as a non-political bargaining chip between pro-Russian and pro-Western factions at home.

The day before his pitch, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, leader of the pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), announced that the sale of the reactors to Ukraine was off the table – reinforcing suspicions that the decision was political, not logistical.

A bumpy road ahead

The announcement has sparked political backlash at home and confusion abroad.

Environmental organisations and the Sofia-based think tank the Centre for the Study of Democracy have long warned that electricity from the Belene plant would be prohibitively expensive compared to the rapidly falling cost of renewable energy.

Meanwhile, Ukraine remains interested – and technically equipped – to integrate the reactors into its energy mix, even though Kyiv has not been officially informed that Bulgaria is abandoning the reactor deal.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian energy ministry told Suspilne Novyny that it had not received any formal notification from the Bulgarian government and that any comment at this stage would be premature.

On the opposition side, MP Ivaylo Mirchev of the liberal Democratic Alliance of Bulgaria accused the Bulgarian authorities of serving Kremlin interests, claiming that the decision was influenced by "Russian proxies" within the socialist party.

Nevertheless, momentum continues to build around Borissov's alternative vision. The European Commission is reportedly preparing to invest €90 million in Bulgaria for a flagship AI factory, in line with the government's push to position the country as a regional digital hub.

Local tech players have already expressed interest in co-funding the project.

According to energy expert Ivan Hinovski of the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum, the preparatory work to complete the Belene nuclear power plant with the two Russian reactors would take at least three years.

“If work begins immediately, the plant could be operational within seven to eight years. In two to three years, the geopolitical situation may shift, allowing us to use this Russian equipment,” said Hinovski, referring also to the wider nuclear renaissance that is currently underway in Europe.

(de)