Halushchenko: Khmelnytskyi NPP to be completed with loan

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said this during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing, and Utilities, a Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"What we are focusing on today is raising credit funds. In addition to the construction itself, we still have the amount needed to purchase equipment," Halushchenko said.

At the same time, there is no talk of providing state guarantees for the loan. In addition, Energoatom plans to use its own funds to finance the construction.

Halushchenko also said that the Bulgarian Parliament has already supported the transfer of equipment from the unfinished Belene NPP to Ukraine.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Energy, Housing and Utilities supported the draft law on the completion of Khmelnytskyi NPP units No.3 and No.4 for the first reading.

Ukraine expects to sign an agreement in June to purchase two nuclear reactors from Bulgaria. Information about the intentions of such a purchase appeared in March 2023. These are Russian-made reactors from the unfinished Belene NPP.

Currently, Khmelnytskyi NPP has two power units with a rated capacity of 1000 MW each. Construction of KhNPP No. 3 began in September 1985 and No. 4 in June 1986. Both units are designed for a capacity of 1000 MW, with a VVER-1000/V-320 reactor. Despite the construction readiness of No. 3 at 75% and No. 4 at 28%, the project was suspended in 1990 due to a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants.