Nuclear tourism is growing in the Balkans

A new type of tourism related to nuclear technologies is becoming increasingly popular. People are willing to pay a lot of money to look at the test site in the American Trinity – the site of the first nuclear test, visit the memorial parks in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - victims of atomic bombings, go to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant – the zone of the largest nuclear power plant accident in history.

It seems that the Balkans will soon also be able to provide several new facilities for thrill-seekers. If at the end of the last century they persistently got rid of nuclear power facilities here, now, due to new trends in reducing greenhouse gases, nuclear power plants are back in favor. After all, they have a low carbon footprint! And now several countries in the Balkan region are preparing to introduce new nuclear power plants to replace obsolete coal-fired power plants.

Thus, Slovenia plans to build a second nuclear power plant called "JEK2". One is already used here together with neighboring Croatia. But climate concerns and the noble task of reducing the carbon footprint impose obligations on the government of this Balkan country to get rid of coal dependence as soon as possible. A new nuclear power plant should be built by 2038. This energy-efficient project will cost taxpayers more than 10 billion euros.

And in Bulgaria, the construction of two nuclear reactors has been approved in addition to the two already operating at the Kozloduy NPP. The new reactors are planned to be commissioned in 2033 and 2036. Now the Kozloduy NPP generates 30% of Bulgaria's electricity. And another 50% is provided by coal-fired thermal power plants. The construction of another Bulgarian nuclear power plant, Belene, has been frozen. Apparently, she is destined for the fate of a tourist object: the picturesque banks of the Danube, coupled with nuclear ruins, are quite suitable content.

Romania is also ready to contribute to nuclear tourism. Although there is only one nuclear power plant with the charming name "Black Water", the country's authorities flashed creative thinking by simulating a serious nuclear accident during the exercise "Wallachia 2023". During 3 days in Constanta County, it was possible to observe the movements of the Ministry of Emergency Situations forces with appropriate light and sound signals. Warned locals did not panic, but random tourists got a solid share of adrenaline, unexpectedly taking part in a nuclear quest. This will be remembered for a long time.