The French company “GDF Suez” withdrew from the project for the construction of the nuclear power plant “Belene” to concentrate on their own nuclear projects, announced the newspaper Monitor citing Reuters and a company representative.

The branch company of “GDF Suez”, the Belgian “Electrabell” negotiated with the German RWE to share their involvement in the nuclear project.

In mid December 2008, RWE and the Bulgarian government company NEK signed a joint stock agreement that included the German company with 49% shares of the future company that will realize and maintain the new nuclear power plant.

RWE was preferred for strategic partnership to the Belgian “Electrabell” with their offer to pay in 1.275 billion euro and the payment of 550 million euro the government company NEK. The German company also took upon itself to give a corporate loan of 300 million euro for the purchase of equipment on the project.