TVEL to fuel Ukrainian nuclear plants
16 January 2007
TVEL of Russia has signed a contract with Ukraine's Energoatom for the supply of fuel for Ukraine's nuclear power plants in 2007.
The contract was signed by TVEL's acting President, Anton Badenkov, and the President of Energoatom, Andrey Derkach, during a meeting in Moscow on 12 January.
Derkach stated that Energoatom "views TVEL as a key strategic partner for long-term supplies of nuclear fuel to Ukrainian nuclear power plants."
Badenkov added that "the cost of fuel supplies in 2007 is based on the pricing methodology for fresh nuclear fuel supplies to Ukraine" signed by the two countries in early 2006. The document helps to calculate fuel costs according to current trends in the global nuclear fuel market. The price of fuel under the new contract was not disclosed. A similar fuel supply contract was signed last January for the supply of fuel during 2006.
The meeting also discussed possible cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle, particularly establishing a facility in Ukraine during 2008 to fabricate nuclear fuel components for Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
Ukraine has 15 nuclear power reactors at four nuclear power plants (Khmelnitski, Rovno, South Ukraine and Zaporozhe), all operated by Energoatom. All the units are Russian VVER types, two being 440 MWe V-312 models and the rest the larger 1000 MWe units - two early models and the others V-320s. In 2005, 83.3% of Ukraine's electricity was produced by its nuclear plants.
Further information
Energoatom
TVEL
WNA's Nuclear Power in Ukraine information paper