Rivne NPP was first to introduce American fuel for VVER-440 reactors
The Rivne NPP representatives headed by Taras Tkach, the company's CEO, visited the Westinghouse's Swedish plant, which produces nuclear fuel used in the reactors of Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The purpose of the visit was to inspect the implementation of the contract for the production of Westinghouse fuel for the Rivne NPP reactors.
Ukraine became the first country in the world to convert Soviet VVER-440 reactors from russian to American nuclear fuel.
Ukraine started the fuel diversification project with Westinghouse in the 2000s, but now it has become a critical national security factor, pushing the russian monopoly out of the nuclear fuel market.
According to Taras Tkach, this transition is of particular importance for the Rivne NPP, which operates VVER-440 reactors. Until 2023, they operated only on russian nuclear fuel.
As part of the nuclear fuel diversification program, in September 2020, the Rivne NPP signed a contract with Westinghouse to supply fuel assemblies for the VVER-440 reactor. And in September 2023, the first batch of foreign fuel was already loaded into the reactor of power unit No.2.
"The project to introduce American fuel at a VVER-440 power unit was implemented for the first time in the global nuclear industry. In an extremely short period of time, in a year and a half, Westinghouse experts together with engineers from Energoatom and Rivne NPP completed the work designed for six to seven years. This is a real engineering feat," said the director of the Rivne NPP.
According to him, as of 2026, Westinghouse nuclear fuel is partially or fully used at all the Rivne NPP power units. The transition to the new fuel was also accompanied by the modernization of certain technological processes, which made it possible, in particular, to reduce the dose load on personnel during repair work.
The next stage of cooperation is the introduction of an 18-month fuel cycle and the increase of power units' capacity. Given the electricity shortage, this decision is of strategic importance for the stability of Ukraine's energy system and meeting the needs of the economy.
"An important step in the realization of these intentions will be to study the experience of European colleagues who are already at the stage of transition to an extended 18-month fuel cycle. However, unlike European NPPs that are switching to a new cycle with Russian-made fuel, the Rivne NPP intends to successfully go this way using Westinghouse fuel," emphasized Tkach.
He also said that European NPPs are already preparing to adopt the best Ukrainian experience.
For reference:
Westinghouse Electric Company is a leading American company in the field of nuclear energy. Founded in 1999, it is a world leader in the production of nuclear reactors and fuel. The company has three main nuclear fuel fabrication plants in the United States and Europe, each of which specializes in certain types of reactors and stages of production. Today, Westinghouse plays a key role in diversifying the supply of nuclear fuel for Ukrainian NPPs (VVERs), significantly reducing Ukraine's dependence on russian fuel.