No approval ever for Energoatom’s billion-dollar Russian reactor gamble

He posted Energoatom’s response to an official inquiry by a group of MPs initiated by Maksym Khlapuk, confirming that there was no board approval for the purchase and launch of “large nuclear construction”.

It raises concerns about the “potential withdrawal of 30-40 billion hryvnia ($720-$970 million) without proper authorization.”

This follows Zheleznyak's earlier report on March 10 that Ukraine's plan to buy old Russian-built nuclear reactors for the KhNPP could fall apart because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet signed the necessary bill.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko previously stated that the deadline for signing the contract was March 11.

Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant: Background on expansion plans

Located in western Ukraine near the borders of the Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and Ternopil Oblasts, KhNPP was first constructed in 1981. The plant currently operates two VVER-1000 reactors, launched in 1987 and 2004, respectively, with a combined output of 2,000 MW. Initially planned as a four-unit facility, only two reactors were completed.

State-owned nuclear company Energoatom aims to finish building the two unfinished VVER-1000 reactors and construct two more advanced AP1000 reactors based on American technology, capable of generating up to 1,200 MW each. If these plans are realized, KhNPP’s total capacity would surpass 6,000 MW, making it the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

In 2023, Ukraine announced plans to purchase two nuclear reactors from Bulgaria for installation at KhNPP. The project was expected to add nearly 2,200 MW to Ukraine’s energy grid.

In 2024, the European Commission acknowledged that the potential deal for Russian-built reactors could be financed using EU aid allocated for Ukraine.

However, in September 2024, Bulgaria extended negotiations on selling the reactors to Ukraine, raising further questions about the deal's feasibility.

EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová later stated that the European Union would not fund the completion of KhNPP's expansion since the Ukrainian government had drafted the project without consulting Brussels.

The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the controversial bill in April 2024.

Criticism and controversy surrounding the project

Energy Minister Halushchenko has claimed that completing KhNPP's third reactor could take just three years, emphasizing that the project would be financed through loans.

However, several experts and lawmakers have raised serious concerns about the project:

• Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian lawmaker and member of the energy committee, has called the expansion plans "unrealistic."
• Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Energy Research Center, warned that funds allocated for the project could be wasted with no real results.
• Mykola Shteinberg, former chief engineer of Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant after the disaster and a former deputy energy minister, described the latest push to restart construction as "mostly empty talk and self-promotion."
• Lana Zerkal, a former energy minister adviser and ambassador, dismissed the idea of completing the reactors as "a fairy tale."

Despite these warnings, Bill No. 11392 on completing KhNPP’s third and fourth reactors has been repeatedly placed on and then removed from the parliamentary agenda. In July 2024, Ukraine’s parliamentary anti-corruption office identified corruption risks within the bill.

However, on Feb. 4, 2025, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), voiced support for Ukraine’s strategy to expand KhNPP. The following day, Zelenskyy publicly endorsed what has become one of Ukraine’s most controversial infrastructure projects.