Ukraine Nuclear Projects Key to European 'Energy Bridge'

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Construction is underway of two new nuclear units at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant in the Ukraine as part of its efforts to create an "energy bridge" with Europe.

Work has recommenced on units 3 and 4, 30 years after work was stopped by a moratorium against new nuclear power by the government of the time following the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in 1986. At that time, units 3 and 4 were 75% completed and 28% completed, respectively. Both units are designed for a capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW), using VVER-1000/V-320 reactors.

"Completion of the third and fourth power units at the Khmelnitsky NPP is the future of Ukraine," commented Petro Kotin, acting president of Energoatom, speaking to Liga Business. "Europe is now experiencing a nuclear renaissance: France, Poland, Slovakia, Romania - all of them are again thinking about the development of nuclear energy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the whole world, together with Ukraine, decided to freeze the construction of nuclear power units. 30 years have passed, and the states are returning to the development of nuclear power plants. Because it is a cheap, environmentally friendly and sustainable energy source. Ukraine should be among them."

He added: "This project is almost complete. It remains only to sign. The Ministry of Energy must sign a partnership agreement with the consortium of Westinghouse, EDF Trading and Polenergia. The consortium won a tender for participation in the project under Minister Igor Nasalik. This project has already gone through all the necessary procedures. The volume of the consortium's investments in it is about 270 million euros."

The Ukraine-European Union (EU) energy bridge will allow Ukraine's Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant to export electricity to Europe. Initial plans are to disconnect Khmelnitsky 2 from Ukraine's electricity grid and export electricity in two directions - through the upgraded 750-kilovolt, 2,000-MW transmission line to Rzeszow in Poland, as well as through the existing line to the Albertirsa substation in Hungary. Energoatom plans to use the proceeds from exporting power to finish units 3 and 4. Ukraine, which is in conflict with Russia over the disputed Crimea region, has traditionally relied completely on Russian nuclear fuel supplies. However, in 2018 the country started receiving its first non-Russian fuel from Westinghouse for some units at its South Ukraine and Zaporozhye plants.

Ukraine is dependent on nuclear energy, with 15 reactors generating about half of its power. Some older units are due for shutdown in the coming years while others are having their operational lives extended. Earlier this month, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRC) greenlit a 10-year extension operating licence of Unit 5 at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which has been running for 30 years. The original licence expired in May last year, but the plant has been cleared to operate until May 2030. The VVER-1000/V-320 reactor was commissioned in August 1989 and is one of six reactors at the plant. Industrial Info is tracking a project to extend the life of Unit 6. In December, SNRC approved a second 10-year licence extension for Unit 1 of the Rovno plant to December 2030.

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