Ukraine is preparing to launch its own production of nuclear fuel: the deadlines have been announced
Ukraine plans to start producing its own nuclear fuel using the technology of the American company Westinghouse in 2026, and this fuel will be used exclusively at Ukrainian nuclear power plants. About this reported in “Energoatom”.
They emphasized that it is about licensed fuel, which will be produced on a specialized line for assembling fuel cartridges.
“Finished Ukrainian fuel will come out of this line. In particular, it will have elements that will be supplied by our partners”, the press release states.
Currently, Ukraine cannot independently enrich uranium, despite the existing deposits. This is explained by the fact that not all stages of transformation of uranium into finished nuclear fuel have been implemented in the country. The company noted that the full nuclear cycle is a matter of the future, and at this stage, Ukraine will produce licensed fuel under the terms of Westinghouse only for the needs of Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Despite this, Ukraine already produces some components for nuclear fuel, which are licensed by Westinghouse. Energoatom emphasizes that the Ukrainian technology meets the company’s requirements, and the quality of the components is sufficient for use in the production of finished fuel.
In addition, Ukraine plans to build a fifth nuclear power plant near the town of Orbita in the Cherkasy district. The project envisages the creation of four power units using AP1000 technology. “Energoatom” has already received permission to set aside a plot of land with an area of 38.1 hectares for the implementation of this project, and the local authorities have decided to provide the land for permanent use by the company.
