Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, the nation’s parliament, has given its approval to a plan that will see unused nuclear equipment from Bulgaria‘s abandoned Belene nuclear power plant project utilized to complete units 3 and 4 at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant.
Khmelnitsky’s first reactor began commercial operation in 1987, but construction on three additional reactors was halted in 1990. At that time, unit 3 was approximately 80% finished, and unit 4 was about 25% complete. While work on the second reactor resumed, culminating in grid connection in 2004, units 3 and 4 have remained unfinished.
The Belene project, located in northern Bulgaria, was intended to consist of two 1000 MWe units, employing Russian VVER-1000 reactor designs. Although preliminary site work commenced in 2008, and contracts for various components, including large forgings and instrumentation and control systems, were secured with suppliers, the project ultimately stalled due to funding issues. Equipment for the nuclear island had been procured and delivered by 2017, subsequently being placed in storage. The Bulgarian government officially abandoned the Belene project in 2023.
The Bulgarian parliament has already authorized negotiations regarding the sale of this equipment to Ukraine, primarily with the aim of recovering the estimated EUR 600 million (USD 622 million) already invested.
Last May, at the joint request of the Bulgarian and Ukrainian governments, a US technical team, along with experts from both nations, conducted a thorough assessment of the stored VVER equipment at Belene. Westinghouse has also confirmed its capacity to provide fuel for the completed Khmelnitsky units.
