Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov on August 25 2009 named Dimitar Angelov as the new executive director of Kozloduy nuclear power station.
 
The announcement came a day after the resignation of Ivan Genov, who stepped down as boss the nuke plant after Traikov alleged that he was responsible for electricity sale deals that were not in the interests of Kozloduy.
 
Traikov described Angelov as having 28 years of professional experience and as sharing his views on the future of Kozloduy.
 
Traikov said that the Angelov appointment was an expression of the Government’s desire for continuity. Angelov, currently the plant’s chief engineer, had gone through the ranks at the nuclear plant, Traikov said.
 
Genov resigned in spite of rejecting the allegations made by Traikov. Media reports said that a petition among Kozloduy employees backing him had gained more than 1700 signatures.
 
The change at Kozloduy is among several within Bulgaria’s energy sector. A new boss for the country’s State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission is to be named within a fortnight.
 
Further, two National Electricity Company (NEC) executives are to walk the plank for the huge losses accumulated by the company in the first half of 2009.
 
In H1 2009, sales decreased by eight per cent and the company, historically profitable, reported a loss said in provisional figures to have been 42 million leva. Costs had been reduced by only two per cent.
 
NEC chief Lubomir Velkov and Mardik Papazyan are being made to accept the blame, being alleged to have neglected their duties. The decision is expected to be made formally at a meeting of NEC directors before August 28.
 
Bulgaria Energy Holding board chairperson Tencho Popov said that the cost price of electricity had to be cut as a measure against losses, and that the NEC’s only excuse of the losses is that it sold power on the regulated market at a loss, which was unacceptable, Pari quoted Popov as saying.
 
On August 25, Bulgarian news agency Focus quoted Velkov and Papzyan as describing as "unsubstantiated" the allegations against them.
 
A statement on the NEC website said that the NEC’s negative financial results were a result of the inappropriate price policy by the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission towards the company in the past two years.