The IAEA experts have received information according to which there are plans to re-launch the fifth reactor at the Zaporizhia NPP, the agency said in a statement.
“Senior Ukrainian operating staff informed IAEA experts present at the ZNPP that preparations are under way to start unit 5 at reduced power to produce steam and heat for the needs of the plant,” the IAEA’s statement reads.
It is noted that it will take some time to complete all the preparations. Zaporizhia NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, has six VVER-1000 power units.
At the moment, the plant does not generate electricity: on September 11, the last working reactor was stopped.
On September 1, the IAEA mission visited the NPP. After that, two agency specialists work at the station.
The Ukrainian Zaporizhia NPP was captured by Russian troops at the end of February.
Westinghouse (the United States) is working on resumption of production processes required for fabrication of fuel for VVER-440 type reactors, Westinghouse President José Emeterio Gutiérrez has said in an interview with the Energoatom Ukrainy magazine.
“Currently, Westinghouse is resuming all production processes in this area of production and will be ready to supply fuel for the VVER-440 [reactors] after signing a commercial agreement with Energoatom,” he said.
The company president also said that Westinghouse had previously supplied fuel for reactors of this type at Finland’s Loviisa nuclear power plant (NPP).
“The updated design of this fuel, which will meet the needs of Ukrainian reactors at the Rivne NPP, has already been determined,” he said.
Regarding the supply of fuel assemblies produced by Westinghouse to reactor three of the Rivne NPP (VVER-1000 reactor), which currently consumes Russian-made fuel, Gutiérrez expressed the hope that the switch of the reactor to Westinghouse fuel, as planned, would be carried out in 2021.
