Ukraine invests $2.5 billion in long-delayed Khmelnytskyi NPP project, energy minister reveals

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said Ukraine has invested about $2.5 billion in completing units 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytskyi NPP, including $1 billion on construction and $1.5 billion on equipment purchased decades ago. During the Government Question Hour, he emphasized the importance of using existing equipment and designs to complete the reactors.

Halushchenko noted that much of the equipment, purchased in the mid-1980s, reflects the legacy of that era. However, he highlighted a “unique chance” to complete the reactors, including acquiring two additional reactor vessels under draft law No. 11392. The feasibility study from 2018 will need updates to reflect current costs.

The minister reminded lawmakers that Bulgaria's parliament approved the sale of two reactor buildings following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit in 2023. That approval expires on March 11, 2025. Ukraine plans to add nearly 2,200 MW to its energy system by installing these reactors.

The Khmelnytskyi NPP, built in 1981, has two operational reactors, launched in 1987 and 2004, with a combined capacity of 2,000 MW. Ukraine and Bulgaria signed a memorandum on energy cooperation, and the EU may help fund the project using aid for Ukraine. Draft legislation allowing the purchase of Bulgarian equipment recently passed a parliamentary committee in Ukraine.