Parliament voted 140 to 48 in favour of a motion to request the EU Commission to examine the possibility of re-opening the two reactors, which were shut because of EU safety concerns hours before Bulgaria joined the EU on January 1, 2007.

The EU had sought the closure of the old but modernised VVER 440-megawatt reactors, which lacked stable confinement structures in case of a radioactive leak.

In the parliamentary vote on Friday, there were 23 abstentions.

"The government has been instructed to examine, in cooperation with the (EU Executive) Commission, the possibility of restarting the reactors in line with EU law and in accordance with the technical possibilities and security requirements," the motion said.

Sofia would also "ask the appropriate EU bodies to re-think their ruling that the reactors must be shut down in face of the international and economic crisis and the current energy supply crisis," it stated.

Both Bulgaria and Slovakia were ordered to shut down their old nuclear reactors as a condition of EU membership but have talked about re-starting them again in the light of the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute.

The crisis has hit Bulgaria especially hard as it relies almost entirely on Russian deliveries via Ukraine for its gas needs.

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