Currently, Ukraine ranks 7th in the world for nuclear production and 3rd in the world for nuclear share in the national energy mix. NPPs generate 55% of all electricity in Ukraine. More than 25% of the energy mixes of thirteen countries in the world fall on atomic power, in particular, in France, nuclear accounts for more than 70% of the country's energy mix, in Slovakia – more than 53%, in Hungary and Bulgaria – more than 40%.
A crucial part of the Company's foreign policy is membership in international organizations (WANO, WNA, FORATOM (through membership in the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum Association), IFNEC, EUR), cooperation with the IAEA, EC, EBRD, EURATOM as well as bilateral cooperation with companies from countries with developed nuclear capabilities. The purpose of such cooperation is to maintain the competitive state of nuclear power generation, attract scientific, technical, and financial assistance, raise investment, implement international experience to carry out the strategic objectives of «Energoatom» and ensure the safe operation of nuclear power units.
From the very beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine and especially after the occupation of the city of Enerhodar and the seizure of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which took place on March 4, 2022, the management team of SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» has been in close communication with the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since the beginning of russia's military aggression, the IAEA has implemented several visits to Ukraine. Thus, on March 30, 2022, the IAEA Director General R.M. Grossi visited South Ukraine NPP. On April 26, 2022, the IAEA Director General visited Chornobyl NPP. During Mr. Grossi's stay in Kyiv, he had a meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin. Given the absence of a clear position of the IAEA regarding the russian occupation, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» calls on the Agency to take active measures to withdraw russian mercenaries from all captured nuclear facilities of Ukraine, satellite cities and nearby settlements as well as to establish safe zones around each Ukrainian NPP, with no military personnel, weapons or equipment there.
At the same time, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» continues to actively cooperate with IAEA working bodies and specialists at the expert level. Furthermore, under the conditions of military aggression, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» is developing the possibility of obtaining technical assistance from the IAEA through the Response and Assistance Network (RANET).
Due to the WANO moscow center (mc) nonfeasance in the conditions of the russian federation's war against Ukraine, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» applied to withdraw from the mc and transfer to the WANO Paris Center (PC) under all association programs. The corresponding decision was made on March 31 at WANO Board of Governors meeting.
Thus, since April 1, 2022, all NPPs of the Company acceded to the PC. This means that the mc will not have access to the initial data on the operation of the Company's NPPs while peer reviews at the NPPs and their assessment will be carried out under the auspices of the PC. In late April, an agreement on interaction in case of emergency was signed between SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» and the PC, which puts into effect the procedure developed by the PC for providing support to SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» in case of emergency at the Company's NPPs. Furthermore, the PC has developed a road map for the gradual integration of the Company's NPPs into the PC. Weekly meetings of the PC with the NPP leadership are held to discuss the current situation at the NPP sites, in particular, the state of nuclear safety, the availability of communication channels in case of emergency as well as the urgent needs of the power plants.
Since 2007, the Company has been a full member of the EUR International Group (since April 2021, the organization is known as EUR Association), which is working on developing requirements for new NPPs and analyzing promising NPP designs for compliance with these requirements. The participation of specialists of SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» in evaluating the compliance of EU-APWR (MHI), EU-APR1400 (KHNP) and HPR1000 (CGN) Light-water Reactor designs against the EUR requirements as well as in developing requirements for small modular reactors (LWSMR) allowed to gain experience that will facilitate the licensing of reactor installations in Ukraine. Work is currently underway to evaluate the new APR1000 project of the Korean company KHNP.
On March 17, 2022, the EUR Association suspended Rosenergoatom Concern (REA) membership in this organization due to russia's military aggression against Ukraine and, in particular, due to the military attack and occupation of the Zaporizhzhya NPP.
On March 5, 2022, a joint appeal was sent to the EC by the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko and the heads of SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» Petro Kotin and the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Oleh Korikov. The key requirement was organising a special EU mission to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including collecting data and documenting all russian crimes for future legal proceedings. The EC expressed its readiness to support the nuclear industry of Ukraine during the military aggression of the russian federation.
On March 5, 2022, a joint appeal was sent to the UN by the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Halushchenko and the heads of the SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» Petro Kotin and the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Oleh Korikov. The key requirement is the organization of a special EU mission to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including gathering facts and documenting all russian crimes for future legal proceedings.
April 26, 2022, the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations hosted a virtual briefing for the leadership of the delegations of the UN member states, which was attended by the Chief Advisor to the President of the Company O. Motsyk. He presented updated information on the seizure of the Zaporizhzhya NPP by russian troops, the role of "specialists" from Rosatom and Rosenergoatom in the occupation of the ZNPP, the current situation at Ukraine's NPPs, threats to nuclear safety caused by acts of nuclear terrorism on the part of the russian federation, facts of violations by the russian federation of international nuclear and radiation safety procedures, as well as non-proliferation, and necessary measures to be taken to liberate the ZNPP and demilitarize the area around it.
Currently, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» works hand in glove with many foreign companies from more than 30 countries in North and South America (USA, Canada, Argentina), European countries (France, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Finland, etc.) and Asia (China, Republic of Korea, Japan). The main areas of bilateral cooperation are as follows:
completion of Khmelnytskyy NPP unit No. 3;
construction of AP-1000 power units at the Khmelnytskyy NPP and other operating and prospective sites of the Company;
putting into operation the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF);
supply of nuclear fuel manufactured by Westinghouse to replace russian fuel for the needs of Ukraine's NPPs;
search for different equipment and spare parts vendors to replace russian manufacturers;
improving safety, physical security and modernization of power units;
power ascension and efficiency enhancement of operating power units, repair optimization;
studying the possibility of introducing small modular reactors in Ukraine;
export of NPP electrical energy to EU countries;
development of hydrogen energy on the basis of NPPs;
apprenticeship and staff training;
development of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Despite the russian aggression, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» continues to implement planned investment projects in cooperation with international partners, in particular with Westinghouse. Thus, on June 2, 2022, a declaration was signed at the site of the Khmelnytsky NPP on the start of the practical implementation of the joint project of Energoatom and Westinghouse Electric Company on the construction of AP1000 power units at Khmelnytsky NPP site.
On the same day, SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» and Westinghouse signed a Memorandum on expanding cooperation, which provides for an increase in the number of AP1000 power units planned for construction from five to nine, the establishment of Westinghouse engineering center in Ukraine to support AP1000 projects planned for implementation in Ukraine and Europe, as well as support for the operation of running power units of the Ukrainian NPP and decommissioning activities in future.
International technical assistance (hereinafter – ITA) has been provided to Ukraine on FOC and non-refundable basis by donor countries and international organizations since 1992 in almost all areas of economic and public life.
Since 1992, Ukraine has been obtaining international technical assistance in the field of improving nuclear and radiation safety of nuclear power plants from the European Union, the United States of America and certain countries on a bilateral basis, such as: the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, Great Britain, Czech Republic. SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» is one of the recipients of ITA in the field of improving nuclear and radiation safety, physical protection and nuclear security. The United States of America and the countries of the European Union were and remain development partners (donors) for Ukraine.
For all the years of Ukraine's independence, donors have earmarked about USD 600 million for SE «NNEGC «Energoatom» for the nuclear and radiation safety enhancement within the framework of international technical assistance. The projects were mainly implemented within the framework of TACIS (EU) and INS (USA) programs, most of which were focused on supplying equipment to NPPs.
The main organizational and legal principles of technical cooperation with donor countries are regulated by international treaties of Ukraine. Assistance goals and objectives are agRead both at the intergovernmental and interagency level.
In Ukraine, the procedure for attracting, using and monitoring international technical assistance is regulated by the Ordinance of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 15.02.2002 No. 153 "On the creation of a unified system for attracting, using and monitoring international technical assistance" (as amended by the Ordinance of the CMU of 09.10.2020 No. 942).
