On Thursday, May 28, at the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility site, Oleg Korikov, Chairman of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), officially handed over the license for the “nuclear facility operation” life cycle stage of the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility to Pavlo Kovtonyuk, Acting Chairman of the Board of NAEK “Energoatom.”
“Obtaining the license to operate the repository confirms the Ukrainian nuclear industry’s ability to implement large-scale and technologically complex projects in accordance with the highest global safety standards,” stated the head of Energoatom during the handover of the licensing documents.
According to him, the facility’s operation over the next 100 years will strengthen the energy resilience of Ukraine’s nuclear power generation, ensure the safe management of spent nuclear fuel, and provide the state with significant economic benefits—currently, Ukraine saves approximately $200 million annually, which was previously spent on transporting fuel abroad.
In turn, as noted by SNRIU Chairman Korikov, the issuance of a license for the “nuclear facility operation” life cycle stage of the CSFSF marks the completion of the process of establishing Ukraine’s own system for the safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF).
Prior to the issuance of this license, the storage facility operated under a separate commissioning license.
“From the perspective of the state regulatory body for nuclear and radiation safety, it is important that the operation of the CSFSF ensures compliance with nuclear and radiation safety requirements and IAEA standards,” Korikov emphasized.
He explained that, in accordance with these standards, the spent fuel storage pools of each reactor unit at a nuclear power plant must have sufficient free volume to accommodate the complete unloading of the core at any point during operation.
“The CSFSF is a practical solution to the issue of spent nuclear fuel management following the termination of cooperation with Russia in this area,” added the head of the SNRA.
The decision to issue the license was the result of a state review of the nuclear and radiation safety of the supporting documentation for Energoatom’s application and an inspection of the operating organization.
As Energoatom noted, construction of the CSFSF began in 2017. In 2020, construction of the first launch complex was completed, and in 2021, the special Vilcha-Yaniv railway line was completed, connecting the storage facility to Ukraine’s general railway network.
On the eve of the full-scale Russian invasion, Energoatom completed a series of cold tests of all the facility’s systems, and on April 25, 2022, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate issued a separate permit to commission the CSFSF.
In other words, until May 25, 2026, the storage facility operated under a separate permit and a special license for commissioning. After completing all necessary procedures and inspections, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate issued the CSFSF a permanent operating license.
The stable operation of the CSFSF ensures the continued operation of nine Ukrainian power units in the territory controlled by Ukraine and guarantees the continuity of electricity generation.
Previously, Ukraine shipped spent nuclear fuel from the Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and South Ukraine NPPs to Russia annually for storage and reprocessing, spending approximately $200 million on this. The creation of the CSFSF made it possible to completely abandon this practice and eliminate critical dependence on Russian nuclear infrastructure.
The repository is designed for at least 100 years of operation and uses the “dry” storage technology developed by the American company Holtec International, which is used in the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
JSC “NAEK ”Energoatom” is implementing agreements with Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB regarding the localization of production of components used in fuel assemblies.
“Atomenergomash (AEM) has received the necessary materials to manufacture the first batch of fuel assembly tails for the VVER-1000. The production time for the batch is four months,” Energoatom reported on Wednesday.
The components manufactured at Ukrainian facilities will be used in the production of fuel for Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
“The launch of our own production of fuel assembly components is an important step in achieving Ukraine’s strategic goal of strengthening energy security and establishing energy independence. In addition, the qualification process is underway for another fuel assembly component—fuel cassette heads“, noted Pavlo Kovtonyuk, head of ”Energoatom.”
The company noted that Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB has recognized Energoatom’s subsidiary, VP “Atomenergomash,” as a qualified and approved supplier of nuclear fuel components (fuel assemblies) for VVER reactors. Atomenergomash’s quality system complies with Westinghouse standards.
NAEK ‘Energoatom’ has completed the construction of a key safety facility at the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant, and it is currently undergoing the certification process, the company announced on Monday.
“We are taking proactive measures to create a reliable shield for our critical infrastructure. Each such facility provides an additional layer of security for Ukraine’s entire power grid,” said Energoatom CEO Pavlo Kovtoniuk.
The construction was carried out as part of a comprehensive program to strengthen the security of Ukrainian power units under martial law. The goal is to protect critical nuclear power infrastructure from potential external threats.
A production meeting was also held at the Rivne NPP site, attended by the plant’s management, relevant departments, and contractors. Participants discussed the progress of construction on other protective structures and the implementation of new engineering solutions to enhance the resilience of the infrastructure.
On April 8, JSC “NAEK ”Energoatom” (Kyiv) announced a tender for compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance for owners of land vehicles.
According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the total estimated cost is 250,998 thousand UAH.
The deadline for submitting tender documents is April 16.
According to Fixygen, JSC “NAEK ”Energoatom” announced a tender on March 20 for liability insurance for the chairman and members of the supervisory board. As reported in the Prozorro e-procurement system, the expected cost of the services is 20 million UAH.
Applications to participate in the tender are being accepted until 4:00 PM on April 7
The winner of a similar tender a year earlier was IC “Coloneid Ukraine”
All three nuclear power plants of NAEK Energoatom located in Ukraine-controlled territory met their targets in 2025 and generated 54.1 billion kWh of electricity, which is 100.8% of the target, the company reported on Wednesday.
“The target was exceeded by 418 million kWh. An increase in electricity production compared to 2024 and a reduction in the duration of the maintenance campaign were recorded. Repair work must continue to be optimized by introducing new technologies,” said Pavlo Kovtonyuk, acting chairman of the board of Energoatom.
In 2025, Energoatom also paid UAH 168.5 billion for special obligations to ensure the availability of electricity for residential consumers (PSO) and transferred over UAH 44.5 billion to the state budget.
As the company added, it supports its employees, particularly specialists from the Zaporizhzhia NPP who were forced to leave their hometown and the plant due to the Russian occupation. Currently, over 2,600 ZNPP nuclear power plant workers are employed at other branches and within the NAEK Directorate.
Currently, Energoatom operates nine power units at the South Ukraine, Rivne, and Khmelnytskyi NPPs with a total capacity of 7,880 MW, located in territory controlled by Ukraine.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP, with six VVER-1000 power units with a total capacity of 6,000 MW, has not been generating electricity since September 11 of that year following its occupation on March 3–4, 2022.
