Rosatom makes concessions to Ukraine so that it does not buy nuclear fuel from the United States
Moscow - Kyiv, September 4 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Stamm) - Russian nuclear scientists are still ready to build a nuclear fuel production plant for Ukraine in Kirovograd Smolino. However, literally a week before the negotiations, Kyiv announced the purchase of fuel from the United States. Although Rosatom supplies it strictly on schedule and in the required volume. And I’m even ready to do this through joint business with partners in Ukraine.
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The Russian-Ukrainian joint venture “Nuclear Fuel Production Plant” near Kirovograd was designed to meet all the needs of Ukrainian nuclear power plants (there are four of them, with 15 operating power units), and in the future to ensure the supply of fuel assemblies for standard power units to neighboring countries, in particular, Armenia, Belarus, Turkey. The partner of the Ukrainian state concern Nuclear Fuel (it has 50 percent plus 1 share) is the Russian company TVEL (50 percent minus 1 share), which won the competition for selecting technologies for the construction of such a plant back in 2010, RG recalls.
It was assumed that shareholders would invest about $100-120 million in equal shares into the project, and then loans could be raised. The total cost of the plant was estimated at $450 million. Construction work on the site was expected to begin in the second quarter of 2014. For this purpose, an additional issue of shares was approved in October 2013. TVEL promptly contributed $42 million to pay for its share. Another co-owner of the joint venture was supposed to contribute a similar amount by December 31, 2013, but this did not happen.
Meanwhile, at Rosatom enterprises, in particular at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, a significant part of the equipment and components for the plant in Smolino, Ukraine, has already been produced and is ready for shipment. “We are ready to ensure the supply of equipment immediately,” say the TVEL company.
However, literally a week before the negotiations, a demonstrative laying of a storage facility for irradiated fuel was staged at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site - to spite Russia, with an eye to purchasing fresh fuel from the United States. Although Rosatom supplies it strictly on schedule and in the required volume. And I’m even ready to do this through joint business with partners in Ukraine.
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