Bulgaria’s nuclear energy development in line with the common European energy policy will be a priority for the Bulgarian Government, Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said.

Kalfin took part in the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA), Focus news agency reported.

After a certain period of doubt, Europe was beginning to revive the idea of nuclear energy development, Kalfin said. He said that the active participation of Bulgaria in various discussions helped the Council of Europe adopt a text allowing countries to freely choose their energy sources.

Outgoing Economy and Energy Minister Roumen Ovcharov said that Bulgarian nuclear energy had good prospects for development.

NRA head Sergei Tsochev said on July 9 that the construction of the Belene nuclear power plant in Belene, a town in north-western Bulgaria, could start as early as 2009.