Zelenskyy supports Khmelnytskyi NPP expansion
Adding two more reactors to the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear PowerPlant (KhNPP) would allow Ukraine to avoid importing electricity from the EU even during winter months in the future, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Feb. 11.
In his evening video address, Zelenskyy specified that the expansion would add more than 2 GW of generation capacity to the national power grid.
“A significant day—the Verkhovna Rada [parliament] of Ukraine has made a substantial step forward,” the president said, referring to the parliamentary approval of the project.
“Ukraine will be able to complete the two reactor units at the Khmelnytskyi plant, adding over 2 gigawatts of electricity for the country.”
Zelenskyy noted that currently, Ukraine lacks about the same amount of capacity during winter, having to rely on imports to cover the shortfall.
He added that the new reactors would help control rising electricity prices for consumers.
“And even with specific economic projects with our partners—from the United States, with President Trump—using Ukraine's special resources, extraction, and processing, Ukraine will be able to speak with more confidence, having an additional and significant source of electricity in the future,” the president said.
He argued that the opposition to the project come from those for whom "cheap energy in Ukraine is simply unprofitable," as they "fill their own pockets or those they depend on" with energy more expensive than nuclear.
Earlier on Feb. 11, the Rada approved the procurement of Russian-made reactors for KhNPP, costing approximately $518 million.
KhNPP began construction in 1981, with initial plans calling for four nuclear reactors providing roughly 1 GW of generation capacity each. Eventually, the project was downsized to just two reactors, with the second being started in 2004.
In early July 2023, the Bulgarian parliament authorized the government to negotiate a potential sale of surplus nuclear energy equipment to Ukraine, as Bulgaria canceled the Belene NPP project in 2012.
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