Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate has greenlighted US Westinghouse Electric Company fuel to load into two additional NPP units in central Ukraine.
KIEV (Sputnik) — Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said Monday it has greenlighted US Westinghouse Electric Company fuel loading into two additional nuclear power plant (NPP) units in central Ukraine.
“Taking into account the positive results of state nuclear and radiation safety expertise …the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine recognizes as possible the loading the first batches of Westinghouse nuclear fuel into the Zaporizhzhya NPP Units 1 and 4 core,” the regulator said.
In 2014, Westinghouse agreed to supply nuclear fuel to several units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPP) till 2020. This was explained by a necessity to ensure Ukraine’s energy independence from Russia. Later, Westinghouse announced its readiness to become the exclusive supplier of fuel for Ukrainian NPP. Experts have repeatedly warned that it would be dangerous to use US-made fuel in reactors of Soviet and Russian design for technical reasons.
In October, Nasalik said about Kiev’s plans to the nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse in 40 percent of its nuclear power plants’ units.