Ukraine to repair all 9 available nuclear reactor units by winter - Energy Ministry

MOSCOW. May 24 (Interfax) - Ukraine will repair all nine available reactor units at the Rovno, Khmelnitsky and South Ukrainian nuclear power plants by winter, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said.

"Our key target is to connect all nine units to the grid by next winter, as we did last winter," Ukrainian media quoted Galushchenko as saying at the parliament's Hour of Questions to the Government on Friday.

Three nuclear reactor units are under maintenance, he said.

"Maintenance is approved by ministry orders. We see it clearly. If you take a look at last year's maintenance schedules, you will see that Energoatom has cut the period by 72 days for all reactor units. Now three reactor units are being reloaded as part of maintenance," Galushchenko said.

Media said on May 16, citing the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency that scheduled repairs and reloading were in progress at two out of four units of the Rovno NPP and one unit of the South Ukrainian NPP.

According to Energoatom head Pyotr Kotin, two units will resume operation in late May, and the third one will be connected to the grid in mid-June.

It is planned to gradually begin repairs at other units so that they are back to work by October, he said.

Energoatom has optimized maintenance "for the soonest reloading of reactor units and resumption of their work," Kotin said.