The Ukrainian Energoatom and the American corporation Westinghouse, that is one of the largest suppliers in the global nuclear fuel market, have signed a memorandum providing for the launch of nuclear fuel licensing in Ukraine.
According to the agreement, a feasibility study on the introduction of Westinghouse fuel at Ukrainian nuclear power plants should be developed by the end of the year. It is assumed that the use of this nuclear fuel will contribute to the growth of nuclear power by 10-15%.
In addition, Westinghouse will take part in the construction of the Khmelnitsky NPP unit, and one of the promising areas for cooperation on this project could be the use of American automated process control systems at the third and fourth units of the station.
As Westinghouse Electric’s Chief Executive Officer Patrick Fregman shared, a memorandum with the Ukrainian Energoatom regarding the local production of individual nuclear fuel elements has already been signed and in a few months we will understand how to proceed.
In addition, Fregman did not rule out the possibility that the American corporation will build a nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine.
Actually, Ukrainian nuclear power plants continue to use Russian fuel. Ukrainian reactors were built during the Soviet Union, and therefore are designed to use Russian standard fuel.
Back in 2015, as Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Vladimir Demchishin said that Kiev refused a joint project with Moscow on the construction of a nuclear fuel production plant, because, according to him, the contract proposed by Russia was “bad”. He then said that Ukraine was discussing this with other potential participants.