Energy security

Ukraine’s Energoatom seeks to restart Russian nuclear fuel deliveries

Energoatom, the operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, is looking for alternative options of Russian nuclear fuel deliveries to Ukraine’s NPPs after the company’s financial accounts have been blocked, Energoatom President Yuri Nedashkovsky said in reply to a TASS question on Tuesday.

"Our lawyers are working on possible alternative schemes of fuel deliveries," he said in comments on the question about whether the company was considering the option of advance deliveries of Russian nuclear fuel with delayed payments for these supplies. The company head didn’t provide any further details, referring to the confidentiality of the information.

...The larger use of fuel from US Westinghouse Company at Ukrainian NPPs does not breach Ukraine’s contractual obligations with Russia on fuel delivery by Russia’s TVEL Enterprise, Nedashkovsky said on Tuesday.

According to the Energoatom president, the contractual obligation to load NPS with nuclear fuel of Russian assembly is relevant only if a nuclear fuel-producing facility is built in Ukraine jointly with Russia’s TVEL.

"The contract with Russia stipulates such a condition [on certain volumes of loading NPPs with Russian fuel assemblies] but only if a nuclear fuel factory is built," the Energoatom head said.