The Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) in the second reading and as a whole approved draft law No. 11392. The amendment contained in it allows the purchase of Russian reactors in Bulgaria for the completion of two power units of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant.
This was reported by a member of parliament from “Voice” Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
The decision was supported by 261 MPs, including from the “Servant of the People” and “Motherland” factions, and from the “Platform for Life and Peace”, “For the Future”, “Trust”, and “Restoration of Ukraine” groups. Zheleznyak notes that a billion dollars will be spent on the project.
Due to opposition in parliament, the bill was passed in an unusual way — through an amendment to an unrelated bill No. 11392, which had been voted on earlier in the first reading. During the consideration of the bill for the second, final reading, its text was completely erased and replaced with another, claims the MP Volodymyr Vyatrovych.
Some MPs and energy experts are protesting against the completion of the Kherson NPP and the alleged waste of funds. They talk about the corruption risks associated with the construction. They also point out the inexpediency of implementing a project that will install Russian-made reactors that Bulgaria previously received from Russia. Although the equipment is formally registered in Bulgaria
The MP from the “Servant of the People” party Andriy Zhupanyn insists that "despite fair criticism", thanks to todayʼs decision, Ukraine will be able to conclude an agreement to purchase reactors before the expiration of the sales permit. The government will prepare a new bill on the completion of the Khmelnytskyi NPP, to which it will provide updated justification and information on sources of financing.
Supporters of the Kherson NPP expansion point out that the station’s construction site is designed for the type of reactors that Ukraine wants to buy from Bulgaria, so finding and installing others will take much more time and money. Experts also say that VVER-1000 reactors are the main ones at Ukrainian nuclear plants, so they have already been tested for safety. The possible Bulgarian-Ukrainian deal is unique, since only Bulgaria has two Russian reactors that it does not need, and Ukraine is the only country that can benefit from them.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky publicly supported the completion of power units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP and asked the Verkhovna Rada to vote on the necessary bills.
- Construction of the third and fourth reactors of the Khmelnytskyi NPP began in the 1980s, but was frozen. If the power units are completed, the Khmelnytskyi NPP will become the largest in Europe, with a total capacity of more than 6 000 MW.
- This year, Ukraine plans to begin the construction of four new nuclear units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP. Two of them are planned to be built using Russian equipment that Ukraine wants to buy in Bulgaria. The other two will be built using American Westinghouse technology.
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