Ukraine to Buy Nuclear Reactors from Bulgaria This Summer

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Ukraine is aiming to keep its nuclear power projects on track with plans to sign a deal in June to purchase two Russian-made reactors from Bulgaria.

Despite the ongoing war with Russia, the government is forging ahead with plans to add four new reactors to its existing Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant, two of which will come from Bulgaria and its abandoned Belene nuclear power project. The reactors in question are a pair of Soviet-era VVER-1000 units, and Bulgaria is looking for around US$600 million for them, although that price may rise. Russian forces took control of Ukraine's largest nuclear plant, Zaporizhzhia, in 2022 near the warzone in the south of the country. It has been targeted by shelling in the past and since last September has been in shutdown mode with none of the reactors generating power. The plant remains connected to the Ukrainian power grid for its own needs and to maintain power to the reactor cooling systems. Ukraine has 15 nuclear units generating roughly half its electricity--including the six no longer operating at Zaporizhzhia.

The head of state-owned nuclear firm Energoatom, Peter Kotin, told media: "Negotiations between the government of Ukraine and Bulgaria continue. I think that somewhere in June we will have the result of concluding contracts with Bulgaria for the purchase of this equipment. I set the task before our construction organization and Khmelnytskyi station to have it ready to be installed by June," referring to the first of the two reactors which would be ready for installation straight away.

If delivered in time, Kotin said that commissioning work on the first reactor could be operating within two to three years. The company has agreements with General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) to build the steam turbine. The other two planned reactors at the Khmelnytsky plant will be based on AP1000 generation III+ technology from U.S. company Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania). Last December, Ukraine signed a deal with Westinghouse for agreement for the purchase of equipment for Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant Unit 5. Energoatom said it has ambitions to roll out up to nine AP1000 reactors in the future. Last September Westinghouse helped Ukraine switch away from Russia fuel for its existing fleet of Soviet-era VVER-440 reactors.

In related news, Sweden and Ukraine have agreed to strengthen their cooperation on nuclear power to boost energy security following a meeting of key ministers in Kyiv last week. "Cooperation in the nuclear industry between our countries is a priority," said Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko "We were able to show other countries that the future of the nuclear industry is possible without Russia: Ukrainian specialists from Energoatom worked together with specialists from the Westinghouse plant in Sweden to create a technology that allowed us to use Western-made fuel in Soviet VVER reactors. Now this fuel is successfully working at the Rivne NPP."

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