Russia was the major supplier of nuclear fuel to Ukraine. Photo from UNIAN Ukraine in January-September 2019 imported fuel assemblies totaling US$259.13 million for its nuclear power plants.

Over the period under review, 174.46 tonnes of nuclear fuel worth US$158.49 million was purchased in Russia (61.2% in the total structure of procurement) and 140.9 tonnes worth US$100.6 million was bought in Sweden (38.8%), according to the State Statistics Service.

As UNIAN reported earlier, as part of diversifying the sources of nuclear fuel supplies for its nuclear power plants and reducing dependence on one source, which is Russia’s TVEL, Ukraine’s state-owned Energoatom in April 2014 signed an agreement with Westinghouse, which produces fuel at its plant in Sweden.

Read also NGOs in Ukraine: Change in nuclear regulator’s subordination contradicts international norms In late January 2018, Energoatom and Westinghouse extended the supply contract until 2025.

To date, Swedish fuel is used at Zaporizhia and Yuzhnoukrainsk nuclear power plants. In 2018, 335.2 tonnes of nuclear fuel worth US$374.2 million was purchased in Russia (71.6% in the total structure of procurement) and 211.4 tonnes worth US$148.5 million in Sweden (28.4%).

In 2017, nuclear fuel worth US$368.9 million was purchased in Russia (69.2% in the total structure of procurement), while in Sweden Ukraine bought fuel worth US$164.5 million (30.8%).

(C)UNIAN 2019