The incident that occurred in Kozlodui nuclear power (NPP) plant on March 1 could have produced serious damages under critical circumstances, Greenpeace representative Jan Haverkamp said.

International media published an interview with Bulgarian nuclear physicist Georgi Kaschiev who said a serious security system failure occurred on March 1. Economy Minister Roumen Ovcharov said a slight technical problem, rather than a major failure occurred.

Nuclear energy production poses only problems in the long-run, Haverkamp said.

Bulgaria has many alternative energy sources it can develop, said he. The production costs for the country would be much lower compared to the NPP expenses, said Haverkamp.

At the same time French nuclear experts said Bulgaria is among the countries that should use nuclear power plants to meet the national energy needs.

The closure of NPPs would lead to economic difficulties for the country, according to the experts.

Substituting NPPs with alternative energy sources will be difficult and costly. Petroleum is becoming increasingly expensive and its quantity is limited.