Ukraine is relying on Bulgaria and the US to build new nuclear units

Ukraine is preparing to build additional nuclear units. It is relying on Bulgaria to supply the technology itself. The main driver behind the expansion of its nuclear fleet is the inability of the Zaporizhzhia plant to generate enough electricity. The plant is currently occupied by Russian forces, and there is a risk that it will stop producing electricity altogether within a few months.

A decision is expected in June this year, Reuters reports. The plan involves two Russian-made VVER-1000 nuclear reactors imported from Bulgaria. The new reactors are to be built at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine.

Bulgaria bought the two reactors from Russia six years ago to build the Belene nuclear power plant. However, the project was halted prematurely because Bulgaria lacked the funds and technical expertise to complete it without Russian support.

According to Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom, the country can begin commissioning work on a new reactor in two to three years, which is also the time needed to manufacture a turbine. General Electric is expected to manufacture it.

The first of the two reactors is ready for installation immediately. Construction of the second reactor is planned for later, although Kotin did not say when. The country also plans to produce its own fuel for these units.

The originally agreed purchase price of 600 million dollars is, however, expected to rise. Commenting on the price increase, Kotin said: "The Bulgarian side is constantly seeking to secure greater benefits for itself than the 600 million dollars, and the more time passes, the higher the prices will be." Ukraine, he said, is still counting on the original price.

Energoatom intends to build two more reactors at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. These, however, will be based on the US AP-1000 reactor. According to the information provided, concrete work on the two new units will begin in early April.

The future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is uncertain

Russia took control of the Zaporizhzhia plant in February 2022, and its six nuclear reactors are now idle. This is why Ukraine is trying to compensate for the loss of its Russian-occupied plant with new units.

The country now relies on nuclear power from three operating plants, with a total of nine reactors, including two currently operating at the Khmelnytskyi plant.

Commenting on Russia's inability to restart the Zaporizhzhia plant, Kotin said that, unlike Russia, Ukraine is capable of bringing it back online.

"[The Russians] keep saying they will restart the plant, but they are technically unable to bring it back online because they have no power lines, water or staff," Kotin said, adding that Moscow did not want to acknowledge this.

Kotin said Energoatom, which retained the staff that operated Zaporizhzhia, would be ready to restart the plant after its "de-occupation" and had already trained special teams for the task.

According to Energoatom's chief, under current conditions the plant can operate only one reactor, and for no longer than one month, after which it will have to shut down. He added that to restart the plant, either the destroyed Kakhovka dam must be rebuilt or pumps must be installed to supply water from the Dnipro.