Ukraine's Energoatom and Westinghouse begin construction on new Khmelnitsky NPP power units using AP1000 technology
MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Energoatom atomic power company and American Westinghouse have started implementing the project to build the fifth and sixth units of the Khmelnitsky NPP (Khmelnitsky NPP-5 and KhNPP-6) using AP1000 technology.
"Energoatom has begun its project to construct the KhNPP-5 and KhNPP-6 power units using AP1000 Westinghouse technology at the Khmelnitsky NPP. In the presence of Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Bridget Brink, Energoatom Chairman of the Board Petr Kotin and Westinghouse Electric Company Executive Director Patrick Fragman, the first concrete cube for block No. 5 was laid," Ukrainian media reported, citing a statement from the Ukrainian company on its Telegram channel.
The AP1000 has unique fully passive safety systems, a modular standard design, and has "industry-leading performance characteristics and the ability to operate in maneuvering mode," Kotin said at the ceremony.
"This is more modern and safer technology than that used in the ones we operate now," he said, adding that the construction period for one unit is approximately 4-5 years, and its cost is about $5 billion.
"I welcome the attempts and desires of the Ukrainian government, as well as the Ministry of Energy and Energoatom to develop their nuclear energy program. These units at the Khmelnitsky NPP will be the first of nine that are planned to be built in Ukraine together with Westinghouse using AP1000 technology," Ambassador Brink said.
The AP1000 is an improved technology with increased efficiency; the power unit itself is compact and has a lower cost compared to others, and the reactor is designed to operate for 60 years, Fragman said.
He also said that "the heavy equipment, the production of which takes the longest, is already ready, and this will significantly speed up construction time," and as the main agreements have already been signed, "it will go even faster."
As reported, Energoatom CEO Kotin and the CEO of Westinghouse Fragman signed a contract for the purchase of a reactor unit for the first nuclear power unit in Ukraine using AP1000 technology in Kiev on December 17, 2023. The companies had already signed a contract in July 2022 to develop an updated feasibility study for the construction of two AP1000 units at the Khmelnitsky NPP site.