Bulgaria plans to increase its reliance on nuclear energy by 2020 under a new proposal adopted by the government on Wednesday.

"Bulgaria will defend the right to maintain and increase its share of nuclear energy to European institutions," it said.

Currently, Bulgaria relies for 35 percent of its demand on energy from its sole nuclear plant of Kozloduy, while 55 percent comes from thermal power plants and 10 percent from renewable energy.

Under the proposal, the country will seek to extend the life of Kozloduy's only two 1,000-megawatt reactors past their 2017 and 2019 operation end dates.

It also calls for the construction of two new reactors, either at the existing site or at a new plant in Belene on the Danube, east of Kozloduy.

The Belene project -- initially planned to come on line in 2014 -- has been stalled over differing cost estimates.

Russia, whose Atomstroyexport agency was commissioned in 2008 to build the two Belene reactors, said it could not build the plant for less than 6.3 billion euros ($9.1 billion), even though the initial amount was put at 3.9 billion euros.

Bulgaria meanwhile refused to pay anything over 5.0 billion euros.

The new strategy document also foresees improving energy security by diversifying fuel sources and distribution networks.

Bulgaria depends almost entirely on Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine and on oil that comes mainly from Russia. Its sole oil refinery belongs to Russian giant Lukoil.

Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov insisted on Saturday that Bulgaria's gas distribution network would be linked up to Greece's in 2014, allowing it to receive gas from Azerbaijan as part of the Turkey-Greece-Italy (TGI) pipeline.

Discussions were also ongoing to link the Bulgarian network to those of Romania, Serbia and Turkey, he said.

Bulgaria is already a shareholder in the European Nabucco gas project and the rival South Stream pipeline, backed by Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom and Italy's ENI.

British gas and oil development company Melrose Resources meanwhile started production in October at two offshore natural gas fields in Bulgaria, estimated to contain reserves of some 74 billion cubic feet (2.0 billion cubic metres) of gas, which should satisfy 15 percent of the country's natural gas needs.

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