Minister Hrynchuk supports the completion of the Khmelnytskyi NPP
Energy Minister Considers Nuclear Generation Basic, This Prevented Large-Scale Power Outages During Russian Attacks
Nuclear energy has once again proven its strategic importance for Ukraine's energy security. Thanks to it, the country was able to avoid a large-scale blackout during massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
This was stated by the Minister of Energy of Ukraine Svitlana Grinchuk on the air of the national telethon "United News", the press service of Energoatom reports.
The Minister expressed a clear position on the further development of the nuclear industry, in particular the possibility of completing the power units of the Khmelnytskyi NPP.
"I believe that this needs to be done. With which units will we do this? This is a process of negotiations and discussions. We must understand that the development of the construction of new nuclear capacities is a rather long process," Svitlana Grinchuk noted.
She confirmed a planned meeting with the Bulgarian Minister of Energy in the near future, where they will discuss further bilateral steps in the field of completing the power units.
According to Svitlana Grinchuk, it is nuclear generation that remains the pillar of Ukraine's energy stability. During the war, nuclear generation consistently provided 50-60% of the energy balance, which allows us to survive the winter.
The Minister of Energy also emphasized the advantages of nuclear energy: "This is a clean and low-carbon generation that does not produce additional emissions of greenhouse gases and harmful substances. This is stable generation that is quite cheap."
As a reminder, two power units are currently operating at Khmelnytskyi NPP, each with a nominal capacity of 1,000 MW. Construction of power unit No. 3 of Khmelnytskyi NPP began in September 1985, No. 4 in June 1986. Both units are designed for a capacity of 1,000 MW, with a VVER-1000/B-320 reactor. Despite the construction readiness of unit 3 at 75% and unit 4 at 28%, the project was suspended in 1990 due to a moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants.
On April 15, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov said that the country would not sell Ukraine two Russian reactors from the unfinished Belene NPP, which were planned to be used for the Khmelnytskyi NPP.
On February 11, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada supported the purchase of Russian-made equipment in Bulgaria for the completion of two power units at the Kherson NPP. However, for the actual start of the completion, the parliament must adopt a separate law, which the people's deputies have so far failed.
As "Ukrainian Energy" reported, according to the previous Minister of Energy Herman Galushchenko, about $1.5 billion was spent on completing the Khmelnytskyi NPP units. These funds were used to purchase building structures and equipment for the construction of power units No. 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytskyi NPP.
