Energoatom and Westinghouse sign agreement on supplying nuclear fuel to all Ukraine NPPs

MOSCOW. June 3 (Interfax) - Energoatom State National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine (NNEGC), which operates the country's nuclear power plants, and U.S. Westinghouse on June 2 signed an agreement on supplying nuclear fuel to all NPPs in Ukraine, NNEGC told reporters on Friday.

"In connection with waiving the purchase of Russian nuclear fuel, NNEGC has agreed with its strategic partner, Westinghouse, to increase the supply of U.S. nuclear fuel to all Ukrainian nuclear power plants," NNEGC noted.

The agreement envisages supplying nuclear fuel to existing nuclear power units, as well as to those that NNEGC and Westinghouse are still planning to construct in Ukraine.

Westinghouse's production facility in Sweden will supply the nuclear fuel.

"Meantime, fuel-assembly components will be manufactured in Ukraine at one of NNEGC's separate divisions that is currently completing qualification for constructing the heads and tails for Westinghouse fuel," NNEGC said.

NNEGC and Westinghouse also signed two other agreements on June 2. The first agreement entails boosting the number of nuclear power units to be built in Ukraine from five to nine, using AP 1000 technology; and the second agreement envisages establishing a Westinghouse engineering and technology center in Ukraine.

President of Energoatom Petro Kotin and President and Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse Patrick Fragman unveiled a commemorative plaque at the site of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant on June 2 on the occasion of the start of the construction of the facility's fifth and sixth power units using AP1000 technology, the Ukrainian media said, citing Energoatom.

"This is a new stage in the development of Ukraine's energy sector. Thanks to joint projects with Westingshouse, we will become one of the world's leaders in nuclear energy and will have a powerful and advanced pool of nuclear power units, which will generate clean electricity both for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe," Kotin said.

NNEGC announced in March that it was completely waiving the purchase of Russian-produced nuclear fuel. The company said that U.S. nuclear fuel was already being used at seven of the 15 power units at Ukrainian NPPs.

According to the State Statistics Service, Ukraine in 2021 bought nuclear fuel totaling $435.6 million, including Russian-produced fuel (TVEL) for $158.7 million, as well as Swedish-produced fuel (Westinghouse) for $276.9 million.