Energoatom, Holtec want to build a plant to produce containers for spent nuclear fuel in Ukraine

MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax) - Ukraine's Energoatom and Holtec International of the United States plan to build a plant in Ukraine to make containers for spent nuclear fuel which are currently produced in the U.S., Ukrainian media reported, quoting a Ukrainian Energy Ministry statement.

Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko and Holtec CEO Kris Singh discussed this during a meeting in Washington.

The ministry said cooperation between Holtec International and Energoatom has already had yielded results - a centralized spent nuclear fuel storage facility which accepts spent nuclear fuel from Ukrainian nuclear power plants had been built in the republic.

Energoatom said on Telegram that according to its calculations, the cost savings for the removal and storage of spent nuclear fuel had already covered the costs of building the centralized storage facility in full this year.

It was previously reported that Ukraine's use of its own spent fuel storage facility would save about $200 million annually.

Energoatom also said it planned to build a plant in Ukraine to produce basic equipment for small modular reactors using Holtec SMR technology, including the reactor vessel. Company president Pyotr Kotin said during a meeting with Holtec International Vice President Riaz Awan that the plant should not only ensure the construction of about 3,000 MW of SMR capacity in Ukraine, but also become a hub for the export of this technology to other European countries.

Energoatom and Holtec in April this year signed an agreement on cooperation in the deployment of small modular reactors which provides for the construction of up to 20 SMR-160 reactors, with the implementation the first pilot project and reaching the minimum regulated reactor power and connection to the grid by March 2029.

Holtec, a long-term partner of Energoatom, acted as a contractor for the construction of the centralized storage facility in Ukraine, which was put into operation in April 2022.