President of the state enterprise NNEGC Energoatom Petr Kotin said that the company is preparing for corporatization and that the Ukrainian government has already submitted the relevant draft law on the specifics of the formation of the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom to the Parliament.
As reported in the Energoatom Telegram channel, he informed the ambassadors of the G7 countries and other officials of foreign diplomatic missions about this during a meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday, August 24.
In addition, Kotin outlined plans for the development of Energoatom and the state of implementation of joint projects with the American company Westinghouse.
“We have put an end to any dependence on Russia, first of all, it concerns the rejection of its nuclear fuel, technologies, services and components. At the same time, we are strengthening cooperation with our long-term partner Westinghouse: we will purchase nuclear fuel for all Ukrainian nuclear power plants and build 9 new power units based on AP1000 technology,” he said.
As reported, in September 2021, Energoatom and Westinghouse signed a memorandum on the construction of five nuclear power units in Ukraine. At the beginning of June 2022, the companies signed agreements to increase the number of nuclear power units to be built using AP 1000 technology in Ukraine from five to nine units, and to establish the Westinghouse Engineering and Technology Center in the country.
Energoatom is the operator of all four operating nuclear power plants in Ukraine. Operates Zaporozhye, South-Ukrainian, Rivne and Khmelnytsky stations with 15 power units equipped with water-cooled power reactors, with a total installed electrical capacity of 13.8 GW.
Energoatom and American Westinghouse are launching an internship program for Ukrainian nuclear scientists in the United States, within which more than 60 specialists and graduates of nuclear specialties will study AP1000® technology.
“Westinghouse Electric and Energoatom announced today a partnership, thanks to which more than 60 Ukrainian nuclear scientists and senior students will be able to take internships and get opportunities for development,” the company said on the Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The multi-year hands-on AP1000® technology training program will begin in the fall of 2022 at Westinghouse’s US headquarters. Upon completion of the training course, newly minted AP1000® technology technicians will have numerous opportunities to apply their engineering, technical and process support skills to new unit construction projects using this technology in Ukraine, in particular at the newly established Westinghouse Engineering and Technology Center in Kyiv, Energoatom said.
Specialists will also be trained to provide critical support for future decommissioning programs at Ukrainian nuclear power plants, the company added.
According to Oleh Boyaryntsev, Executive Director for Human Resources at Energoatom, the most talented and promising young professionals and graduates of leading Ukrainian universities will be selected for the internship.
“Thanks to the Westinghouse training program, Ukrainian specialists and students will receive a unique experience for development in the nuclear industry as we begin to implement AP1000® projects throughout Ukraine,” David Durham, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems, is quoted in the message.
He stressed that the opening of Westinghouse facilities for current and future Ukrainian nuclear scientists strengthens the company’s close partnership with Energoatom and Ukraine.
As reported, in June 2022, Westinghouse and Energoatom expanded agreements for the supply of nuclear fuel for all operating Ukrainian nuclear power plants and construction of nine AP1000® power units.
SE NNEGC Energoatom is ready to put into operation all 15 power units of 4 Ukrainian nuclear power plants next winter, company president Petr Kotin said on Ukrainian radio on Wednesday.
“We are ready to launch all 15 power units from the Energoatom generation side,” Kotin said.
At the same time, he explained that the largest in Ukraine and occupied by Russian invaders, the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, is currently operating at half capacity due to damage to power lines.
“Everything will depend on the end of hostilities. If we liberate the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and resume the operation of the damaged lines, then we will be able to work with all six power units at the ZNPP,” the head of Energoatom said.
At the same time, according to him, the remaining nine power units in the territory controlled by Ukraine will be ready to operate at full capacity.
“We are optimistic about these events and the fact that we will pass the heating season,” the president of NAEK stressed.
As reported, Energoatom used the practice of operating 15 power units in January-February this year, which caused ambiguous comments from experts regarding the optimal loading of the energy system in terms of the structure of generating capacities.
However, in the upcoming heating season 2022-23. The launch of the maximum number of NPP power units can be facilitated by an increase in electricity exports to the EU countries by the end of 2022 to approximately 1,000 MW.
Westinghouse Electric Company and NAEK “Energoatom” signed a contract for the development of an updated feasibility study for the construction of two AP1000 units at the Khmelnytsky NPP in Ukraine.
“In accordance with the agreement, Westinghouse will provide technical information on the AP1000 installation in support of Energoatom’s updated feasibility study for the construction of two AP1000 reactors at the Khmelnytskyi NPP,” the American company said in a press release.
These efforts advance the previously signed agreement between the companies on the construction of AP1000 units at units #5 and #6 of the Khmelnytsky NPP, the beginning of the licensing process, and the further development of Ukraine’s initiatives in the field of clean energy.
“This is an important step for Ukraine’s energy independence. We are ready to provide our technologies and equipment for the AP1000 plant in Ukraine, and we are constantly inspired by the unwavering determination and resilience of our strategic partners,” noted David Durham, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems.
As reported, in September 2021, Energoatom and Westinghouse signed a memorandum on the construction of five NPP power units in Ukraine. In early June 2022, the companies signed agreements to increase the number of nuclear power units that will be built using AP 1000 technology in Ukraine from five to nine units, and to create a Westinghouse engineering and technical center in the country.
“Energoatom” is the operator of all four operating nuclear power plants of Ukraine. It operates the Zaporizhia, South-Ukrainian, Rivne and Khmelnytskyi stations with 15 power units equipped with water-hydrogen power reactors with a total installed electrical capacity of 13.8 GW.
Ukraine has denied Director General of the International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi a visit to the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant until it is liberated, Energoatom reported.
“The Ukrainian side did not invite Grossi to visit ZNPP and previously denied him such a visit, stressing that a visit to the plant would be possible only when control over it was returned to our country,” Energoatom’s Telegram channel reported on Tuesday.
The message from Grossi that he received an invitation from Ukraine to visit the occupied ZNPP was called by the company another attempt to get to the plant by any means in order to legitimize the stay of the Russian occupiers there and, in fact, approve all their actions.
“There will be conclusions from the IAEA, such as “the plant continues to operate safely, the radiation background is normal, there are no radiation leaks, nuclear materials are kept safe, the Russian military and representatives of Rosatom take care of this, and there are no complaints against them,” Energoatom warns “.
At the same time, they explained the situation with the termination of the ZNPP online transmission of data to the agency on the state of affairs with nuclear materials, by which Grossi, in particular, explained the need for his visit.
“Loss of communication” between ZNPP and the IAEA was caused by the actions of the Russian invaders, who disconnected the Ukrainian operator Vodafone in Energodar, and the IAEA has a data transmission contract with Vodafone,” the NAEC described the situation.
At the same time, the company noted that all data collection points and servers that were under the control of the agency were closed and sealed. The information itself is accumulated on the server and will be transmitted when Vodafone is turned on.
“It seems very likely that it was the Russian side, by prior agreement with the IAEA, who made sure that the agency “lost control” without having access to this information, which means that the IAEA director general had a reason to come to the station,” Energoatom admitted.
In addition, they expressed the opinion that Grossi’s previous visits to Ukraine did not bring any benefit.
“Let us recall that on the way back after visiting the Pivdennoukrainsk NPP, he went to a meeting with the head of Rosatom, and together they reported to the world how good everything was at the Zaporozhye station,” the company stressed.
They also recalled that almost a quarter of the IAEA leadership consists of Russians, which casts doubt on the objectivity of its decision-making.
On June 6, Grossi tweeted once again that the IAEA was preparing an expert mission to the ZNPP, noting that it had stopped transmitting data, and referred to the invitation of Ukraine.
“Ukraine invited us, we will go there,” he wrote.
As reported, speaking at the opening of the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, Grossi called on the Board to support him in organizing a visit to the Zaporizhzhya NPP, and also noted that this issue needs UN support.
During the war, the IAEA carried out three expert missions in Ukraine – one to the Pivdennoukrainsk nuclear power plant and two to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom paid UAH 11.3 billion to the state budget in January-May 2022, which is twice the figure for the same period last year.
“Thanks to such indicators, Energoatom ranked third among all taxpayers in Ukraine and received special thanks for the financial support of Ukraine from the Central Interregional Department of the State Tax Service for Work with Large Taxpayers,” the company said on its Telegram channel on Monday.
As reported, Energoatom paid more than UAH 4.8 billion to the state budget in the first quarter of this year, which is a third or almost UAH 1.2 billion more than in the same period last year.
