The National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom and the Japanese-American electrical and nuclear energy company Westinghouse have agreed to work together to improve the safety of future power units 3 and 4 of Khmelnytskyy NPP and to adapt the fuel for these units.
This was reported by the press service of Energoatom.
Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin held a working meeting with Westinghouse Electric Company Managing Director Aziz Dag and President of the Long-Term Operations Division Luca Oriani. The parties discussed key aspects of safety improvement at Khmelnytskyy NPP Units 3 and 4, which will be completed using equipment from Bulgaria's Belene NPP.
Westinghouse is currently conducting a GAP analysis of the X3 and X4 designs to implement modern safety systems, including long-term heat removal from the reactor vessel containment. It is expected that this will allow future Ukrainian VVER-1000 reactors to achieve the safety level of Westinghouse's modern AP1000 reactors.
Similar systems have already been used at Rivne NPP.
The meeting also agreed to continue work on the adaptation of Westinghouse fuel for X3 and X4, including the option of an 18-month overload cycle.
A joint team of Energoatom and Westinghouse specialists will work on these projects.
- Two weeks ago, Energoatom responded to accusations by a group of Ukrainian MPs about alleged misappropriation of funds and violations of the law and stated that construction work at the KhNPP site was legal.
- Prior to that, Energoatom said that Khmelnytskyy NPP units 3 and 4 would be powered only by Westinghouse fuel, as Ukraine has finally abandoned Russian nuclear fuel.