NNEGC "Energoatom" and Holtec International plan to build a plant in Ukraine for the production of CSFSF spent nuclear fuel containers, which are currently manufactured in the USA. This was discussed during the meeting of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko with the President and CEO of the company Kris Singh, which took place in Washington.
>"With such professional partners as Holtec International, the revival of Ukrainian nuclear industry is not just our goal but a reality. We are grateful to our partners for their belief in the importance of nuclear energy for the sustainable future and success of Ukraine," Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said.
In turn, Kris Singh noted that after the Victory, Ukraine could become the energy hub of Europe.
"Ukraine's potential in the nuclear field is the best in the region. Our company has been and remains your reliable partner," Kris Singh highlighted.
The cooperation of Holtec International and Energoatom has a practical result – the world's only, unique in its characteristics Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) has been built. Spent nuclear fuel is stored at the CSFSF using the "dry" storage technology. This technology is licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), has all the necessary technical solutions to ensure such safety during the transportation and storage of spent fuel, and has also been successfully tested in the USA, Spain, Great Britain and other countries.
The facility was successfully completed even before the start of the full-scale war and put into operation. It has already been loaded with spent nuclear fuel from Ukrainian NPP. Ukraine's use of its in-house CSFSF saves our country about $200 million annually. It also made it possible even before the war, despite fierce resistance to information attacks, to completely refuse to export spent nuclear fuel to russia.
During a working meeting at the CSFSF production site, President of SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" Petro Kotin and Holtec International Vice President Riaz Awan discussed how the storage facility operates and prospects for future cooperation.
"It is not just about the annual savings of around $200 million, which Energoatom would have to spend on paying for the transportation and storage of spent fuel in russia. It was one of the most important steps in achieving our energy independence as well as a complete rejection of russian nuclear fuel afterward," Petro Kotin stressed.
It should be added that the joint plans of Energoatom and Holtec International include the construction of a manufacturing facility for essential equipment of small modular reactors using Holtec SMR technology in Ukraine. This plant should ensure not only the construction of SMR capacities in Ukraine, but also become a hub for the export of this technology to other European countries.
In the spring of 2023, Energoatom and Holtec International also signed an Agreement on cooperation in deploying Holtec small modular reactors in Ukraine, which provides for the construction of small modular reactors.
The development of SMR in Ukraine is defined as one of the priorities in the Energy Strategy until 2050. Small modular reactors can not only replace thermal generation, accelerating the "green" transition, but also be used in the production of hydrogen and its by-products – for use both in Ukraine and abroad, and will also contribute to the export of additional volumes of produced electricity to Europe.
