Ukraine to build nine nuclear power units with Westinghouse

The number of nuclear power units to be built in Ukraine together with Westinghouse will grow to nine.

According to Ukrinform, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine reported this on Facebook.

In the presence of Ukraine's Minister of Energy German Galushchenko and Sweden's Ambassador to Ukraine Tobias Thyberg, President of the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom Petro Kotin and President and CEO at Westinghouse Electric Company Patrick Fragman signed three agreements on strengthening cooperation between the two companies.

According to the report, this will increase the number of nuclear power units to be built using AP1000 technology in Ukraine from five to nine. These are new generation reactors with better performance and the ability to operate in maneuvering mode.

"We will modernize our fleet of nuclear power units that will produce clean, safe and reliable energy without any Russian influence. In the future, Ukraine may become a key exporter of electricity to Europe," Galushchenko stressed.

According to him, the agreements concluded between Energoatom and Westinghouse are another powerful step towards Ukraine's energy independence and carbon-free future.

An agreement was also reached to increase the supply of American nuclear fuel for all Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The issue is about providing fuel to the existing power units and those that will be constructed in Ukraine as part of cooperation. The fuel will be supplied from the Westinghouse production site in Sweden. At the same time, fuel assembly components will be produced in Ukraine at a separate division of NNEGC Energoatom.

In addition, both companies confirmed their intention to establish a Westinghouse Engineering Center in Ukraine, which will support the construction and operation of AP1000 plants in Ukraine, as well as a future decommissioning program for Ukrainian NPPs.

A total of 15 operating nuclear power units are currently operating at four nuclear power plants in Ukraine. With the start of the war in February 2022, Ukraine completely gave up Russian nuclear fuel.