Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB and 11 European partners are going to start conjointly working on the Accelerated Program for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply (APIS). The purpose of the project is to meet the urgent need of the countries operating such reactors, for an alternative fuel.
Led by Westinghouse Sweden, the APIS consortium will allow creating strong cooperation between countries with experience in adaptation of fuel type and countries starting their journey towards nuclear fuel diversification.
Westinghouse Sweden will work conjointly with utilities: CEZ AS, Czech Republic, Energoatom, Ukraine, Fortum, Finland, PAKSI ATOM, Hungary, Slovenske Elektrarne AS, Slovakia; fuel manufacturers Westinghouse (Sweden) and Enusa (Spain), and fuel engineering and research organizations: JRC-Joint Research Centre- European Commission, Belgium, State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Ukraine, UJV REZ AS, Czech Republic, Uppsala University, Sweden and Vuje AS, Slovakia.
Diversifying the sources of VVER fuel will be made possible by strengthening European capabilities in design, manufacturing, and supply, as well as by accelerating the process of capacity building. There are currently over thirty reactors operating with VVER-440 and VVER-1000 fuel in the EU and in Ukraine.
“The APIS project is totally aligned with the collaboration fostered by the EU between suppliers and utilities to neutralize a negative impact on the supply of VVER fuel and limit dependence on current suppliers. Some countries have already embarked on this diversification path, demonstrating that alternatives in the VVER market are possible”, said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel President.
For your information: The Accelerated Program for Implementation of Secure VVER Fuel Supply is co-financed by the European Union, and is part of the EU's Horizon Europe program for research and innovation. The cooperation is expected to run for over three years.
