Ukraine's nuclear safety center to evaluate new nuclear fuel for Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP

MOSCOW. Aug 23 (Interfax) - Ukraine's State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, a member of a Czech-Ukrainian consortium, will evaluate a safety analysis report regarding the compatibility of the in-core monitoring system of Power Unit No. 5 at Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with nuclear fuel from U.S. company Westinghouse.

Along with the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, the consortium includes Ukrainian and Czech enterprises of Energy Safety Group (ES Group Europe s.r.o.) and Ukraine's Energy Safety Group LLC, Ukrainian media said, citing the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU).

"The State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety has a highly professional and experienced team of specialists. The years-long experience of licensing Westinghouse fuel for Ukrainian VVER reactors and its participation in a fresh nuclear fuel diversification program enables the center to apply its tried-and-tested approaches to partner countries," SNRIU said.

Ukraine's record of licensing and operating "mixed" fuel kernels, when fuel from a number of producers is simultaneously used in the reactor core, proves that the country is a leader of Eastern Europe in this field, the inspectorate said.

"That is why nuclear power plants that have chosen Westinghouse for diversifying nuclear fuel at its platforms ask the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety for assistance," it said.

As reported, the center will take part in the APIS project, during which Russian nuclear fuel supplier TVEL will be replaced by the U.S.' Westinghouse Electric Company as a supplier of fuel for Soviet-era VVER reactors at European NPPs.

"The APIS project is, above all, about developing new-generation fuel structures and regulatory documents for starting to use it in VVER-type reactors in European countries," the center said.

APIS is a three-year project that is partly financed by the European Commission and is aimed at introducing safety deliveries of Westinghouse fuel both for VVER-440 reactors and VVER-1000 reactors, it said. Over this period, its participants are expected to draw up all necessary regulatory documents for licensing Westinghouse fuel and loading it into the core of VVER reactors at European NPPs.