Ukraine announces plans to expand its uranium sector to boost energy self-sufficiency

The government of Ukraine has approved a plan to expand the country’s uranium production. “The main purpose of this concept is to create conditions for increasing uranium production to fully meet the needs of domestic nuclear energy, as well as increase Ukraine’s energy independence,” explained Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Currently, nuclear energy provides Ukraine with 54% of its electricity. The country has 15 operational large reactors, all of Russian design. In the past few months, the Ukrainian government has announced a nuclear new build programme, which will be developed in cooperation with the US. This programme will make use of the AP1000 reactor developed by US company Westinghouse, of which at least five are to be built. All will be located at existing nuclear power plant sites, with the first to be constructed at Khmelnitsky.