Americans and Ukrainians want to produce nuclear fuel together

The agreement envisages the establishment of a fuel assembly line for VVER-1000 reactors at the facilities of Energoatom's affiliate, AtomEnergoMash. The final agreement is expected to be signed in the near future.

The declaration was signed by Petro Kotin, acting president of JSC NNEGC Energoatom, and Aziz Dag, vice president of Westinghouse for global fuel business for BWR and VVER reactors, in the presence of Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko.

Reduce dependence on Russian nuclear fuel supply chains

In early 2025, Westinghouse approved AtomEnergoMash as a qualified supplier to produce upper and lower heads for fuel assemblies for VVER-1000 reactors, paving the way for Ukraine to develop fuel assembly capabilities domestically .

"We are continuing our path to establishing a fuel assembly line in Ukraine, implementing Westinghouse technologies. I am very grateful to our partners for their trust, which is based on many years of successful cooperation. Step by step, Energoatom is moving towards becoming a nuclear energy center in Eastern Europe," said Petro Kotin, CEO of JSC NNEGC Energoatom.

"We are proud to expand our strong partnership and shared commitment to energy security in Ukraine. Our fuel assemblies help Ukraine and other countries reduce their dependence on Russian nuclear fuel supply chains and build a carbon-free future," said Tarik Choho, president of Westinghouse's nuclear fuel business.

Plans to build 9 Westinghouse nuclear power units in Ukraine

In addition to supplying industry-leading fuel for Ukraine's existing nuclear fleet, Westinghouse has committed to building nine AP1000 reactors in the country .

The AP1000 is a Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular design, and—as Westinghouse claims—the smallest footprint per megawatt of installed capacity on the market. Currently, there are six such reactors operating worldwide.

AP1000 technology has been selected for nuclear power programs in Ukraine and Bulgaria and is being considered for numerous other locations in Europe, the UK, India and North America.

As a reminder, the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium is building Poland's first nuclear power plant . It will feature three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors with a total electrical capacity of up to 3,750 MW.