President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed bill No. 11392, which allows the purchase of Russian reactors in Bulgaria for the construction of two power units of the Khmelnytskyi NPP.
This is stated in the billʼs title card.
Prior to this, Volodymyr Zelensky publicly supported the completion of the power units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP and asked the Verkhovna Rada to vote on the necessary bills. On February 11, the Parliament approved Bill No. 11392 in the second reading and as a whole.
Initially, bill No. 11392 did not mention the purchase of power units. MP Volodymyr Vyatrovych claimed that due to opposition in parliament, the bill was adopted in an unusual way — an amendment allowing the purchase of Russian reactors was added to bill No. 11392 after the first reading, where it was supported by parliamentarians. During the consideration of the bill for the second, final reading, its text was completely erased and replaced with another.
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 risk of dependence on Russian technology for maintenance remains significant, experts say.
The Verkhovna Radaʼs Anti-Corruption Committee previously stated that the draft law does not meet the requirements of anti-corruption legislation.
- 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 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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