On October 2, President of SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" Petro Kotin and representatives of the Canadian company САМЕСО visited Eastern Mining and Processing Plant (ShidGZK), the only uranium ore mining and processing enterprise in Ukraine.
Energoatom's President and other Company specialists responsible for its uranium program, along with САМЕСО Vice President of Marketing David Doerksen, Marketing Manager Ryan Chute, Blind River Refinery General Manager, Ore Processing Expert Terry Davis, and Corporate Development Manager, Mining Expert James Aune, in the presence of the head of ShidGZK Ihor Buhaiov and other officials, inspected the plant's production facilities and got acquainted with the uranium ore mining, as well as with the technology of its reception and processing at the hydrometallurgical plant.
After inspecting the enterprise, the Canadian partners provided the Ukrainian side with their own assessment of production and recommendations for ramp-up of uranium product and increasing its efficiency, based on the corporation's experience and expertise in uranium mining and processing technologies.
Petro Kotin noted that Ukraine already has a successful experience of substituting russian fuel, while the agreements with Canadian partners regarding the sale of Ukrainian uranium to Canada by Energoatom will boost the production of nuclear fuel at the facilities of the U.S. Westinghouse to provide it for NPPs with VVER-1000 and VVER-440 reactors.
"This fuel will successfully substitute similar russian fuel not only at Ukrainian NPPs, but also at similar nuclear power plants in Europe," Energoatom’s CEO stressed. "It was also very important for us to hear recommendations from our partners, the implementation of which will allow us to significantly ramp up production and processing of uranium products and increase the efficiency of the company."
As a result of the visit, the parties agreed that САМЕСО will help with the modernization of the three existing mine shafts, and also outlined further areas for fruitful and long-term cooperation.
As a reminder, the first batch of Ukrainian uranium mined at the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant was loaded and dispatched by Energoatom to Canada in September of this year. This was preceded by the conclusion of several important agreements between Energoatom and САМЕСО. In particular, CAMECO will provide 100% of Energoatom’s needs for natural uranium hexafluoride for Rivne, Khmelnytskyy and South Ukraine NPPs from 2024 through 2035.
The contract also envisages the possibility of supplying the Zaporizhzhya NPP with uranium hexafluoride as soon as control over the nuclear plant is returned to its legitimate operator – Energoatom. Another agreement stipulates that Energoatom shall sell to Canada domestic uranium, which is mined by the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant in Ukraine. САМЕСО will provide the conversion of Ukrainian uranium for Energoatom’s needs.
For reference: SE "Eastern Mining and Processing Plant" is the only company in Ukraine mining and processing uranium ores. It includes three uranium mines – Inhulska, Smolynska, and Novokostyantynivska, as well as three plants – hydrometallurgical, repair and mechanical and Dniprodzerzhynsk chemical plants.
