Nasalyk: Ukraine is no longer dependent on Russian nuclear fuel

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Ihor Nasalyk has announced Ukraine has overcome its dependence on Russia in terms of nuclear fuel supply. He made the statement during a weekly briefing of the government at the Supreme Rada.

“As early as in 2016 or in the beginning of 2017, it was nonsense speaking of diversifying the supply of the nuclear fuel from Russia. A majority would say it was unreal or impossible. But I can state today: if tomorrow the Russian Federation stops supplying us with fuel elements for VVER-1000 reactors, we shall be working properly, as we have fully diversified the nuclear fuel supply to our NPPs,” Nasalyk states.

Now, Ukraine is operating 13 nuclear power units of the VVER-1000 design and two VVER-440. The minister’s statement caused doubts with both experts and politicians.

For instance, former transportation minister of Ukraine Yevhen Chervonenko on air of 112 TV channel announced that after the Euro-Maidan the USA almost provoked a second Chernobyl in Ukraine: such could be the consequences of using American nuclear fuel at NPPs built in the Soviet times.

The American Westinghouse has been trying to capture the Ukrainian market by replacing the Russian rivals since the times of the Orange Revolution.