Politico reported that Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Ukraine will push ahead with plans to buy old Russian nuclear reactors despite growing opposition from lawmakers, amid warnings. about a major power crisis this winter.
Minister Galushchenko said the government still intends to pursue the expansion of the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine, purchasing two VVER-1000 reactors currently in Bulgaria.
The proposal has faced criticism from the ruling party's own lawmakers, who say there are faster ways to support the power grid, which has been hit hard by Russian attacks.
Minister Galushchenko said: “Our energy system can withstand this pressure first of all thanks to nuclear energy. Taking that into account, we need more energy, even during recovery and especially after the war. We understand that any type of nuclear project takes many years, so we need to start as quickly as possible, especially given that we have the building already built and ready."
Last week, Ukrainian lawmakers told Politico that the government was forced to admit it did not have enough support in parliament to pass a draft law on purchasing reactors.
According to Andrii Zhupanyn, a lawmaker from President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, such failures are "extremely rare."
MPs question whether the Russian reactors - purchased by Bulgaria more than a decade ago and now closed - can be quickly put into use and whether the money can be spent better for renewables and other power sources. They say costs are likely to skyrocket and create opportunities for corruption.
However, Mr. Galushchenko pledged to win over the skeptics and make the project a success.
“We are continuing to work with parliament to pass this law because this is a very important project for us,” he said. I am confident that parliament will pass it."
There is no suggestion that Russia will gain revenue from the sale of these two reactors. After Russia's reactor deployment plan failed, Bulgaria signed an agreement with US nuclear energy giant Westinghouse to expand the Kozloduy nuclear power plant.
Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, including power plants and power grids, has been repeatedly attacked by Russian missiles and drones in recent months, forcing Ukraine to import Significant electricity from the EU.
“Of course, we are trying to repair every facility that can be repaired, adding additional power to the system,” Mr. Galushchenko said. But Ukraine is actually facing the harshest winter in the country's history."
