At the Khmelnytskyi NPP, the construction of power units No. 5 and No. 6 using the American AR1000 Westinghouse technology began. Its peculiarity is the possibility of maneuvering blocks, which is important for Ukraine, because the Russians are destroying the balancing powers of the Ukrainian energy industry.
This was reported by "Energoatom", Ukrainian state NPP operator.
A unique feature of this type of power unit is the ability to have maneuver capacity, that is, to effectively and quickly change the amount of generation in response to daily fluctuations in demand. In the Ukrainian energy system, such functions are performed by thermal, hydro, solar and wind power plants.
"This is a major geopolitical project of common interest to Ukraine and the United States. The technologies that we will build and develop together will displace the Russians from the European nuclear energy market," said the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko.
Against the backdrop of constant shelling of critical infrastructure, Ukraine needs more energy capacity. The main focus is on nuclear power, as it generates more than 50% of the countryʼs electricity. Ukraine needs additional power units also due to the occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
These units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP will be the first of nine planned to be built in Ukraine together with Westinghouse using AR1000 technology. And KhAES-5 will be the first nuclear power unit of non-Soviet design in Ukraine.
This year, Ukraine plans to start construction of four new nuclear reactors to compensate for the energy capacity lost due to a full-scale war with Russia. All four reactors will be built at the Khmelnytskyi NPP.
Attack on the Ukrainian energy industry
During the massive shelling of Ukraine on the night of April 11, the Russians completely destroyed the Trypilska TPP in the city of Ukrainka, Kyiv region. PJSC "Centrenergo" lost 100% of generation. It includes:
- Zmiivska TPP in the Kharkiv region (destroyed by Russians);
- Trypilska TPP in Kyiv region (destroyed by Russians);
- Vuhlehirska TPP in Donetsk region (captured by Russians).
On March 22, the Russian occupiers launched the largest combined attack on the Ukrainian energy system since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. There was a blackout in Kharkiv. Among other things, the occupiers hit the Dnipro HPP (Dniprohes), but there is no threat of a dam breach. Both stations that are part of the Dnipro HPP (HPP-1 and HPP-2) stopped working, while HPP-2 suffered critical damage.
On the night of March 29, Russia launched a large-scale missile strike against the facilities of the fuel and energy sector of Ukraine. Then it damaged the energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Cherkasy and Chernivtsi regions. The targets of the occupiers were also the Kaniv and Dniester hydropower plants located in the Cherkasy and Chernivtsi regions.
According to the estimates of the Energy Research Center, in July and August, you can expect severe restrictions for consumers after the latest attacks on energy.