The company said the agreement is another step in the continuation of the longstanding partnership between Energoatom and Westinghouse.
The parties also signed a letter of intent on further exploring the localisation of fuel assembly component production in Ukraine. Atomenergomash, a subdivision of Energoatom, is completing qualification to manufacture VVER-1000 top and bottom nozzles for Westinghouse fuel.
Westinghouse VVER-1000 fuel is already in operation in six nuclear reactors in Ukraine. They are South Ukraine-2 and -3, and Zaporozhe-1, -3, -4 and -5.
By providing fuel to VVER-440 reactors, Westinghouse will supply more than half of the Ukraine’s fleet of 15 commercial reactors.
Energoatom chief executive officer Petro Kotin said: “We are taking another step in our combined need for continuing to improve the performance of our plants and diversifying our supply. This is an important decision not only for Ukraine, but for all countries of the European continent with VVER-440 units.”
Ukraine previously sourced much of its fuel from Russia, but in 2014 signed fuel contracts with Westinghouse as part of a long-term effort with the US to reduce fuel dependency on Russia.
In January 2018, Westinghouse extended the agreement with Ukraine pledging nuclear fuel deliveries to seven of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear units between 2021 and 2025, expanding a contract for six reactors that was set to expire in 2020.
Westinghouse manufactures fuel assemblies of the TVS-WR design for use in VVER 1000 PWRs at its fuel fabrication facility in Västerås, Sweden.
