Rosatom does not yet know how to deal technologically with American fuel in the reactors of the Zaporozhye NPP. The head of the state corporation says that they are ready to return to the United States, but a political solution is needed.
In four of the six reactors of the Zaporozhye NPP there are assemblies from the USA — the fuel of the American company Westinghouse.
"Actually, we don't need it, but there are organizational and legal issues. Here, obviously, certain consultations will be required. The time has not come for them, a political solution is needed. We are ready to return it," Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, told Rossiya—24 TV channel.
He noted that the corporation returns its own spent fuel to nuclear circulation and reprocesses it.
"But what to do with the American one is still not completely clear technologically," said the head of Rosatom.
As EADaily reported, in 2023, the US Department of Energy warned Rosatom about the availability of American technologies at the Zaporozhye NPP.
"The US claims are formal in nature. In particular, their letters, which they have been sending since last year, mention the settlement programs of Westinghouse, which allegedly remained at the Zaporozhye NPP," said Alexander Uvarov, director of AtomInfo Center. He noted that there are no revelations in these programs: "Every self-respecting supplier of nuclear technology has programs of this type at its disposal."
Zaporozhye NPP with a capacity of 6 GW is the largest in Europe. Before the start of SMO in 2022, the Ukrainian Energoatom transferred four out of six power units to the fuel assemblies of the American Westinghouse.