Westinghouse reactor set to boost Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi NPP output by 2029

The first AP1000 reactor from U.S. company Westinghouse at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant is to start operations in 2028-2029, becoming the most powerful reactor in Ukraine, Ukrainian nuclear power company Energoatom President Petro Kotin has said.

Speaking on national television on Dec. 20, Kotin said the AP1000 reactor technology is currently recognized as the safest globally.

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"It takes about five years to build such a reactor,” he added, highlighting that reactors of this type produce almost 1,200 MW.

Kotin and Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman signed a contract for the purchase of a reactor for the inaugural nuclear power unit in Ukraine using AP1000 technology. The signing took place in Kyiv on Dec.17.

Financing for the project will come from Energoatom's own funds and attracted financing from the U.S. bank Exim Bank, Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said during the signing. The estimated cost of building one AP1000 reactor is approximately $5 billion.

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Fragman reminded that five AP1000 reactors are already operational at nuclear power plants in the United States and China, with an additional five units almost ready to commence operations.

Energoatom and Westinghouse had previously signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2021 for the construction of reactors units at NPPs in Ukraine.

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In June 2022, agreements were reached to increase the number of nuclear reactors built using AP1000 technology in Ukraine from five to nine, along with the establishment of an engineering and technical center for Westinghouse in the country.

In July 2022, a contract was signed to develop an updated feasibility study for constructing two AP1000 reactors at the Khmelnytskyi NPP in Ukraine.

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