KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine expects to start construction work on four new nuclear power reactors this summer or autumn, Energy Minister German Galushchenko told Reuters on Thursday, as the country seeks to compensate for lost energy capacity due to the war with Russia.

Two of the units - which include reactors and related equipment - will be based on Russian-made equipment that Ukraine wants to import from Bulgaria, while the other two will use Western technology from power equipment maker Westinghouse.

All four reactors will be built at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in the west of Ukraine, Galushchenko added.

  • Quokka@quokk.au
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    9 months ago

    Nuclear is extremely expensive to build and takes a long time, is this truly wise for a country in the middle of an active war?

    • JackFrostNCola@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      ~10 years IIRC, however maybe they figure that by the time they are up and running that the war will be over and they can gain more indepandance from relying on other countries that may stab them in the front?
      But you are right its a costly undertaking while they are also actively asking for aid in a war.

              • WagnasT@iusearchlinux.fyi
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                9 months ago

                Not OP. Only using the cited article, it says the NPP will last 40-80 years and maintenance will be expensive after 40 years but gives no figures, then says solar would last 50 years and be cheaper to maintain but again gives no figures. These statements may be true but without figures this is nothing more than an oversimplified opinion piece. We’re not going to have a productive discussion with opinion pieces.

                • Womble@lemmy.world
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                  9 months ago

                  It also only includes 16 hours of storage in its calculations, maybe cloudy days arent a thing in Georgia.

                  it also mentions land rents to owners as a benefit, but doesnt list them as a cost in running solar (or the cost of buying 27000 acres upfront)

        • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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          9 months ago

          Ukraine has experience with nuclear (55% of their current electricity production is from nuclear), they have the largest uranium reserve of Europe and their peak of electricity consumption is in December, when solar production is only 1/5th of summer production.

          So for me it make complete sense to build nuclear power stations in Ukraine.

            • BarbecueCowboy@kbin.social
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              9 months ago

              I kinda feel like the political uncertainty may not really factor in. Politically, it’s possible that they may not exist once these are completed, but if they don’t there isn’t anyone in the government left to care.

    • OttoVonNoob@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      I think this is s good idea, only for the fact Russia is not allowed to target it. Energy is also always an excellent source of income. On top of all of that if you do nothing during the war your economy will stagnate.

    • Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      Well they either start it now or start it when the war is over. It might take a long time but it will take longer if they wait. Plus they need jobs for a lot of people to stay i imagine so the money will be well spent.

    • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
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      9 months ago

      I think the point is it’s much easier to harden NPP against some types of strikes than, say, PV farm

      and there’s all that ban on strikes on NPPs which seems to be respected even now

    • MonkderZweite@feddit.ch
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      9 months ago

      for a country in the middle of an active war?

      that was blackmailed with one a few months ago.

    • Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social
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      9 months ago

      By the time the price or risk is prohibitive, there will probably be peace and they will receive a lot of reconstruction aid. They don’t have to worry about the price if they don’t have to pay it.

        • Infiltrated_ad8271@kbin.social
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          9 months ago

          At least on paper. I suspect that is too optimistic for a country with so much corruption and of interest to the west, but let’s hope for the best.

          • CybranM@kbin.social
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            9 months ago

            Its not going to be fast but in comparison the UK made its last payment on its WWII loans in 2006 so its not expected to be a fast process

  • Alchemy@lemmy.team
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    9 months ago

    I bet they still construct it much faster than the constantly delayed Hinkley Point C in the UK

  • partial_accumen@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Interestingly this has been in the works for almost a decade. Lots of good information here

    Some good bits:

    • Ukraine is heavily dependent on nuclear energy – it has 15 reactors generating about half of its electricity.
    • Ukraine had been receiving most of its nuclear services and nuclear fuel from Russia, but is reducing this dependence. In June 2022 an agreement was signed with Westinghouse that will see the company provide all fuel for the Ukrainian fleet.
    • In 2021 Westinghouse was contracted to finish building a new reactor at Khmelnitsky using AP1000 components from an aborted US project.
    • The government is looking to the West for both technology and investment in its nuclear plants. An agreement to build nine AP1000 reactors at established sites has been signed with Westinghouse.

    Seeing as 6 of Ukraine’s largest reactors are under Russian control in Zaporozhye, and that a good chunk of Ukraine’s national revenue comes from the export of electricity to Europe, the need to get more capacity online is apparent.