In the presence of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the head of SE NNEGC Energoatom Petro Kotin and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse Patrick Fragman signed a Memorandum of Cooperation providing for the deployment of Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in Ukraine. The signing ceremony, which took place at the US Department of Energy’s headquarters in Washington, DC, was also attended by Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Grenholm.
Energoatom has chosen Westinghouse AP1000 technology to implement long-term goals for the construction of new nuclear power units in Ukraine. This Memorandum will strengthen both companies and help Ukraine achieve decarbonisation goals using clean, reliable and affordable nuclear energy.
The Memorandum envisages Westinghouse’s participation in the completion of the Khmelnytskyy NPP power unit 4 using AP1000 technology as well as four more power units of other nuclear power plants in Ukraine. The total estimated cost of the project is about US$ 30 billion.
«In the long run, the employment of US AP1000 technology – a proven Generation III+ reactor with an electrical output of about 1100 MW, passive safety systems and unique standardization features, which allow reducing construction time and cost – will enable Energoatom to ensure the highest level of safety, reliable operation of nuclear generation, its innovation as well as careful attitude to the environment,» stated the head of NNEGC «Energoatom» Petro Kotin.
«Westinghouse is proud to support the existing fleet of operating Ukrainian NPPs by supplying its industry-leading fuel and services. This agreement further strengthens our time-tested partnership with Energoatom,» said Patrick Fragman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse. «This is an important step towards bringing Ukraine’s future of zero-carbon power industry closer by using the world’s leading nuclear reactor to meet long-term needs.»
The AP1000 PWR is a proven Generation III+ reactor. It has unique, completely passive safety systems, modular standard design, high performance as well as the ability to operate in shunting mode. This technology provides advantages in procurement, construction, licensing, operation, maintenance and localization.
Westinghouse AP1000 technology is the one-of-a-kind Generation III + reactor technology licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in several countries in Europe and Asia. Four AP1000 units, already operating in China, set performance records for the duration of scheduled outages during commissioning and reloading of fuel along with installed capacity utilization factor.
Construction of two AP1000 units is nearing completion at Vogtle NPP in the United States. This technology was chosen for a construction project of six power units in India, and is currently being considered by many US energy companies, as well as in several countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.
Energoatom, based in Kiyv, is a Ukrainian state enterprise operating all four nuclear power stations in Ukraine.
(Source: Energoatom)