The Minister of Energy, Herman Halushchenko, is concerned that a resolution has been registered in the Bulgarian Parliament to revoke the permission for the sale of two reactor bodies to Ukraine for energy units No. 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant, with the deadline expiring on March 11.
"The only thing that worries me right now is that as soon as the Verkhovna Rada passed the law (on the purchase of equipment for KhNPP-3,4 - ER), pro-Russian forces in Bulgaria immediately registered a draft law to cancel the permission for its transfer to Ukraine," the minister said during a briefing in parliament on Friday, as reported by a correspondent from "Energy Reforms."
He noted that due to such actions in the Bulgarian parliament, Ukraine "still needs to fight for this equipment, but we certainly must do this."
"We are currently closely monitoring what is happening in the Bulgarian parliament to ensure that this decision is not revoked, as we would then lose this opportunity," Halushchenko added.
According to him, if the reactor bodies are not obtained from Bulgaria, they will have to be manufactured from scratch, which would take about five years.
"The manufacturing time for one is five years. These are the official responses we received from the manufacturers. Then this project turns into a long-term construction, and in our situation, electricity and resources are urgently needed for recovery," the minister emphasized, adding that all other equipment for KhNPP-3,4 can be produced by Ukraine.
As reported, on February 11, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law on the acquisition of equipment for the construction of energy units No. 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant, voting in favor of bill No. 11392. This draft law, initiated by the head of the energy committee of the Rada, Andriy Gerus, initially included changes to the electricity market, but the committee annulled all amendments submitted for the second reading during an urgent meeting on January 14, as well as the text of the draft law itself, and submitted new ones concerning KhNPP-3,4. However, it was not considered on the last session day in January.
People's Deputy Andriy Zhupanin, commenting on the adoption of the law, pointed out that this way Ukraine has time to conclude an agreement with Bulgaria before the expiration of the Bulgarian parliament's permission on March 11. He also noted that the law only approves the purchase of reactors, limiting the project's cost at this moment to $600 million. Zhupanin added that now the Cabinet of Ministers will prepare a new draft law for the completion of the KhNPP, which must provide updated technical and economic justification and information on the financing sources for the entire project.
In a brief interview with the "Interfax-Ukraine" agency on February 4, Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko noted that the updated draft law, which will initiate the completion of two energy units of the KhNPP, has addressed all the comments and contradictions that arose among the deputies regarding the first version. He indicated that the fate of 2 GW of generation is now in the hands of the parliament. According to him, Bulgaria is unlikely to extend Ukraine's permission to purchase reactor installations if the law is not voted on, because there is "a pro-Russian narrative" within the coalition. Earlier, the minister noted that Ukraine had already spent about $2.5 billion on KhNPP-3,4 in the mid-90s. The purchase of two VVER-100 reactor bodies of Soviet design, which were supposed to be installed at the Belene NPP in Bulgaria, requires at least EUR 600 million. According to the minister, this purchase will be financed through loans.
The estimated cost of constructing KhNPP-3,4 at 2017 prices (construction work, equipment, furniture and inventory, other expenses) amounts to 72.34 billion UAH. Additionally, the cost of the first batch of nuclear fuel is 4.47 billion UAH.
The government bill No. 11146 from April 3, 2024, regarding the completion of KhNPP-3 and 4 has been withdrawn from parliamentary consideration several times due to a lack of votes. One of the arguments against it was the use of equipment from "Rosatom," as a representative of the aggressor country, along with concerns about its quality and outdated technology. Without the law, it is impossible to carry out the construction of such blocks.