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Ukraine intends to begin setting up atomic power plants from Bulgaria in June

Ukraine wishes to sign an offer in June to buy 2 atomic power plants from Bulgaria as it seeks to compensate for the loss of its vast Russianoccupied sixreactor Zaporizhzhia plant, the head of nuclear firm Energoatom informed .

The brand-new reactors will be built at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine and equipped with Russian-designed devices that Kyiv wishes to import from Bulgaria, Petro Kotin stated in an interview.

Russia gained control of the Zaporizhzhia station, Europe's. biggest nuclear plant, after introducing its intrusion of Ukraine. in February 2022. Zaporizhzhia's six nuclear reactors are now. idled.

Settlements in between the federal government of Ukraine and Bulgaria. continue ... and I believe that somewhere in June we will have the. outcome of concluding contracts with Bulgaria for the purchase of. this devices, Kotin stated in the interview, carried out late on. Thursday.

I set (the) job before our building and construction organisation and. Khmelnytskyi station to have it prepared to be set up by June,. he said, describing the very first of the 2 reactors which would. be all set for installation quickly.

If it is delivered on time and in complete Energoatom, he stated. would be prepared to start start-up work on the brand-new reactor in two. to 3 years, a period which is also required to manufacture the. turbine for the unit. Energoatom is in preliminary talks for. General Electric to construct the turbine, he stated.

The second reactor would be set up later on and Kotin did. not offer a timeframe.

He stated Bulgaria had formerly put the price of the two. reactors at $600 million, however that Sofia was eager to increase. the rate of the equipment, which besides Bulgaria can just. be bought from Russia.

There is a continuous desire on the Bulgarian side to accomplish. higher benefits on their own than this $600 million and the. more time passes the higher costs they voice, but we are still. concentrated on the price of $600 million, Kotin stated.

He said Energoatom likewise intended to construct 2 more reactors. at Khmelnytskyi based upon the American AP-1000 reactor, which. the company would start pouring concrete for the two brand-new units. in early April.

' RUSSIA WON'T GET IT UP AND RUNNING'

Since the loss of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine counts on nuclear. power from three operating plants in the country, amounting to 9. reactors, including 2 reactors currently in operation at the. Khmelnytskyi plant.

Kotin said Ukraine had actually not deserted plans to restart the. Zaporizhzhia power plant one day which, unlike Russia, it. would be able and understand how to get the plant back online.

They (Russia) are still saying they will restart the plant,. but they can't technically begin it up since there are no. electrical lines, no water and no personnel, Kotin said, adding. that Moscow did not wish to recognise that at a political level.

On the battlefield, nevertheless, Ukrainian troops are themselves. on the backfoot after attempting to install a counteroffensive last. year that proved unable to piece Russian protective lines in the. Zaporizhzhia area.

Kotin stated that Energoatom, which kept the staff that. operated Zaporizhzhia, would be prepared to reboot the plant after. its de-occupation and that it currently had actually trained special. teams to do so.

After the Kakhovka dam was exploded, the station lost a. constant inflow of water from the Dnipro River necessary for the. power units, therefore far the plant has only a small supply in a. pond near the facility.

Kotin stated in existing conditions only one reactor can work. for no more than one month and after that should be switched off due to. a lack of water for its cooling system.

He kept in mind that to reboot the station, either the ruined. Kakhovka dam must be rebuilt or pumps must be developed to supply. water from the Dnipro.

(source: Reuters)