POTENTIAL THREATS FROM TRANSBOUNDARY NUCLEAR POLLUTION BETWEEN BULGARIA AND TURKEY

Energy production, use, and distribution cause some of the most pressing environmental problems. The accident in April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine, in which large amounts of radioactive materials were released into the environment, was the most serious to have occurred in connection with the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity. This accident clearly showed the transboundary nuclear pollution impact that a nuclear accident can have. It had negative consequences on the health, the environment, and the economy of a large geographical area. In this study, the potential threat from the Turkish nuclear power plant that is going to be built close to the Bulgarian border is discussed. The study concludes that Bulgaria will bear a significant negative consequence from an accident that may occur at the nuclear reactor in Igneada/Turkey, which is planned to be build 10 kilometers to the Bulgarian border.