Ukraine signs agreement with Westinghouse for purchase of reactor unit for Khmelnytskyi NPP

Petro Kotin, President of Energoatom, Ukraine's state-run company responsible for the operation of all nuclear power plants in the country, and Patrick Fragman, CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company, have signed an agreement on the purchase of equipment for power unit 5 of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

Source: Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy

Details: It is reported that the power unit will be built using American AR1000 technology.

Quote: "Such reactors did not exist in Ukraine; they do not exist in the post-Soviet space; and they do not yet exist in Europe. This is one of the most advanced technologies in nuclear energy, making it possible to maintain the safety systems of nuclear plants even in the event of blackouts and the absence of diesel generators or other power systems," Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said.

Halushchenko said that by signing these agreements, Ukraine is continuing to implement its policy to completely abandon Soviet-Russian technologies in the nuclear power sector and also strengthen cooperation in this field with American partners.

Kotin said that obtaining this equipment is important for the Ukrainian energy system since the actual capacity of AR1000 units is 1100 MW, while the most powerful nuclear units in Ukraine are currently 1000 MW.

"We have reached a very important stage in the process that was started back in 2021 during the visit by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the USA. And I am grateful that we have received the support of the government and the Ministry of Energy, in particular, in making the decisions that allowed us to sign these contracts," Energoatom’s president noted.

He added that the construction of relevant facilities will begin immediately after the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) passes the necessary law.

Patrick Fragman noted that AR1000 technology is one of the most promising in the world.

The Ministry of Energy recalled that on 22 November 2021, Energoatom and Westinghouse signed two cooperation agreements to implement a pilot project for the construction of AR1000 power units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP site.

On 20 January 2023, the government issued a decree approving the proposals of the Ministry of Energy to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a nuclear installation using the technical characteristics of an AR1000-type reactor installation.

Support UP or become our patron!