Nuclear Power Export

Ukraine will complete a third power unit at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant and build a fifth power unit at the Rivne NPP. Asked about the price tag of this construction, Ukraine’s Fuel and Energy Minister and Enerhoatom State Company chairman Serhiy Tulub said that the cost of one power unit might come to one billion US dollars. According to him, the source of funding will be determined later. He also said that Enerhoatom’s funding of projects to increase safety at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities might exceed 700 million hryvnias in 2004.

According to Minister Tulub, Ukraine’s president has instructed his ministry to expand the nation’s electricity export capacity. The minister said that Ukraine has received preliminary proposals from investors to expand electricity exports, but declined to name potential investors. He again called attention to the fact that the Fuel and Energy Ministry has formed a taskforce headed by Oleksiy Sheberstov, which is exploring new markets for Ukrainian electricity and is developing mechanisms to increase exports to existing markets. In particular, the ministry is conducting an economic feasibility study of a project to build 750-kilowatt direct current units on the power main connecting the South-Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant with Isakcha (Romania) and one more at the West-Ukrainian Substation. Minister Tulub believes that in 2005 Ukraine will be able to increase electricity exports to twelve billion kilowatt- hours, six billion of which will be supplied by the Ukrinterenerho State Company and another six billion by Enerhoatom. He further estimated Ukraine’s annual export potential at seventeen billion kilowatt-hours.

On the same day the state press service issued an announcement about the launch of a social project called “Light on Every Street,” which has now become possible after the launch of the new power units.