Formalno pokretanje aktivnosti na provedbi projekta u Belenu odobreno je u septembru 2008, osam mjeseci nakon što je bivša bugarska koaliciona vlada pod vodstvom socijalista zaključila sporazum o tome tokom službene posjete Sofiji tadašnjeg ruskog predsjednika Vladimira Putina.
The formal start of activities to implement the Belene project was given in September 2008, eight months after Bulgaria's former Socialist-led coalition government concluded an agreement on it during then-Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Sofia.