Today, when russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine has also caused a global energy security crisis, it has become even more obvious that the independence of power systems is an important component of the independence of the states.
Against this background, many countries, which for decades relied on energy resources from the russian federation, finally realized: only the diversification of supplies of these resources and any components will make it possible not to depend on russia.
The same applies for nuclear.
Several countries cannot operate their nuclear power plants without the russian federation because they consume russian nuclear fuel. Fortunately, Ukraine has turned this page of its "nuclear history".
Seven power units of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, the sole operator of which is SE "NNEGC "Energoatom", are completely switched to the fuel of the U.S. Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB, which is a long-term reliable partner of the Company. Moreover, from 2024, all 15 power units of domestic NPPs should be supplied with this fuel. Due to this transition, the nuclear power industry of Ukraine will gain final independence from the russian federation.
"Ukraine became the first country on the European continent that managed to diversify the supply of nuclear fuel for NPP reactors!" President of SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" Petro Kotin stressed.
However, we do not stop there. Energoatom, together with Westinghouse, is working on the creation of "in-house" production of nuclear fuel (NF) using the technology of this company – here, in Ukraine. And this will not only strengthen the security of nuclear fuel supplies to domestic NPPs but also contribute to the improvement of the fuel and increase in its power output.
Many steps in this direction have already been taken. Thus, in November 2022, by ordinance of the Ministry of Energy, SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" was appointed as the operator of the future nuclear installation for the production of fuel assemblies for NPP reactors, while in December the Company developed and agreed on a roadmap for the construction of a technological complex where these assemblies will be manufactured.
Currently, the work schedule has been fully outlined and its pre-design part is already underway, while the complex is scheduled to be put into operation in 2026.
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From the moment Ukraine gained independence, the russian TVEL JSC remained the only supplier of nuclear fuel for our NPPs from Soviet times. Therefore, since 2000, SE "NNEGC "Energoatom" started the process of diversifying nuclear power supply and, having chosen an alternative supplier – the company Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB, qualification of American fuel assemblies (FA) for russian-type reactors.
It was a long and gradual process but its completion was accelerated by the war. At the outbreak of the full-scale invasion of russia, Energoatom abandoned the fuel assemblies of the aggressor country once and for all.
