Ukraine's first AP1000 reactor could be launched at Khmelnitsky NPP in 2028-2029 - Energoatom chief

MOSCOW. Dec 20 (Interfax) - Ukraine's first Westinghouse AP1000 reactor could be launched at Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant in 2028-2029, Ukrainian media reported, quoting Energoatom chief Petr Kotin.

"A power unit like this will take approximately five years to build, and if everything goes well, it will be connected to the Ukrainian energy system in 2028-2029," Kotin said in video of a televised interview posted on the Energoatom Telegram channel.

Kotin said reactors of this type produce almost 1,200 MW. The future Khmelnitsky NPP unit will be the most powerful in Ukraine, he said.

Kotin and Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman signed an agreement on December 17 to deliver a new reactor for what will be Ukraine's first AP1000 unit at the Khmelnitsky NPP. The cost will be around $5 billion, to be financed by Energoatom and a U.S. Exim Bank loan.