Ukraine has received proposals from numerous companies, including major firms from neighboring countries, to participate in the financing of the completion of energy units No. 3 and 4 at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant in exchange for a stake in the project.
"As of today, we have not considered allowing anyone into the project, although such requests exist, and there are many, including from large companies in neighboring countries," said Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko at a briefing in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday.
According to him, the ministry's leadership currently leans towards keeping the KhNPP-3 and 4 entirely in state ownership.
"I believe that we will still aim to retain the resources and implement this commercial project as a state one," the minister noted.
He described the project for the completion of KhNPP-3 and 4 as commercially attractive, which allows the state to attract external investors for its implementation while also carrying out work using funds from the State Enterprise "NAEK "Energoatom".
"If we consider the timelines, hopefully, we will manage to connect a unit to the grid, then you take the capacity of one unit, 1.1 GW, which we are talking about, and simply calculate the amount of electricity produced per year, its cost, and that's it. So, this project is commercially attractive," Halushchenko emphasized.
As reported, on February 11, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law on the acquisition of equipment in Bulgaria necessary for the construction of energy units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant.
The State Enterprise "NAEK "Energoatom" plans to complete the construction of energy units No. 3 and No. 4 with Soviet-designed VVER-1000 reactors, as well as to implement future projects for the construction of energy units No. 5 and No. 6 with American Westinghouse reactors.