The subcontractors for the Belene nuclear power plant that will work alongside Russia's Atomstroyexport will not have to undergo a competitive selection procedure. Under the agreement with Atomstroyexport, it has to subcontract 30 per cent of the value of the Belene construction contract to Bulgarian companies, which means procurement contracts worth a total of 1.3 billion euro.

The Public Procurement Act does not require Atomstroyexport to organise a tender to pick the companies, a spokesperson for national power grid operator NEK said. NEK, as the owner of 51 per cent in the future power plant, is the contracting authority of the project.

A provision in the law allows procurement contracts related to natural gas, heating or electricity to be handed out without tender.

NEK chief executive director Lyubomir Velkov recently said that a list of 50 candidate subcontractors had been approved. The official said the candidates were selected based on their references.

In related news, a source close to the talks with Germany's RWE and Belgium's Electrabel, who are bidding to buy a 49 stake stake in the company that will operate Belene, said that the Economy and Energy Ministry was unhappy with the amount offered by the two firms.

Earlier this month, Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov said that the companies were yet to table their finals offers, only proposals that did not meet the Cabinet's expectations.

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