The completion of two energy blocks at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant will provide an additional 2.2 gigawatts of electricity to the Ukrainian energy system. This will reduce dependence on imports during critical periods and support the industrial development of Ukraine.
This was stated by Mykola Koliskyn, the Deputy Minister of Energy, during a broadcast on the national telethon "Unified News."
"The decision of the Verkhovna Rada enables us to purchase the necessary equipment, allowing us to quickly finish construction on existing facilities that were largely built in previous years. This will add 2.2 gigawatts of capacity to our energy system, which is extremely important today. This is a significant strengthening of Ukraine's unified energy system."
To complete the Khmelnytskyi NPP, additional credit financing and funds from "Energoatom" are also planned to be involved. Therefore, addressing the power deficit is the primary focus at this time.
Even if the war ends and active hostilities cease, the deficit will remain, as consumption will increase. Thus, implementing such comprehensive projects in advance is critically important, especially given the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Post-war reconstruction will require a lot of energy — cheap and accessible electrical energy, which can be provided specifically by nuclear power blocks. Currently, nuclear energy forms the foundation of our energy balance.
The completion of these blocks has also been supported by the IAEA as the main international organization that monitors the operation of nuclear power plants. Additionally, the American company Westinghouse, which supplies fuel for most of Ukraine's blocks, has confirmed the possibility of supplying American fuel for these two completed blocks.
Westinghouse officially confirmed that the reactors located in Bulgaria are fully suitable for the two blocks of the Khmelnytskyi NPP," Mykola Koliskyn reported.