Westinghouse Electric Company announced that it delivered its first reload batch of VVER-440 fuel assemblies to Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear utility of Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, Swedish Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Åberg, Energoatom and Westinghouse leadership witnessed the fuel load into the reactor core at Rivne NPP.
This important milestone follows a thorough licensing process and a record-setting development program at the company’s fuel fabrication facility in Sweden. This delivery strengthens the strategic partnership between Westinghouse and Energoatom that includes supplying all VVER nuclear fuel for the country’s operating reactor fleet and collaborating on the deployment of nine new AP1000® reactors in Ukraine.

Westinghouse is a leading supplier of nuclear fuel, providing a uniquely diversified portfolio in the industry across nuclear reactor types, including PWR, BWR, AGR, and VVER. Leveraging its experience in delivering VVER-440 fuel for the Loviisa NPP in Finland from 2001 to 2007, Westinghouse recently signed agreements with Fortum (Finland), CEZ (Czech Republic), and Slovenské elektrárne (Slovakia). Westinghouse designs and fabricates the only fully European VVER fuel offering at its facility in Västerås, Sweden.

On September 12 as well, Westinghouse Electric Company and Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear utility of Ukraine, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development and deployment of the AP300™ Small Modular Reactor (SMR). The agreement establishes a joint working group to collaborate on areas such as contracting, licensing and the local supply chain.
The Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko emphasized that the technology of small modular reactors is very promising for Ukraine, especially in terms of implementation of the national Energy Strategy until 2050.

In May, Westinghouse launched the AP300 small modular reactor, a 300-MWe single-loop pressurized water reactor that is the only SMR based on an Nth-of-a-kind operating reactor, the proven and licensed AP1000 technology. Westinghouse is targeting design certification for the AP300 SMR by 2027 and for construction to begin by 2030. The first operating unit is planned to be available in the early 2030s. Energoatom and Westinghouse have already agreed to deploy nine AP1000 units in Ukraine.