Ukraine battles power deficits- Four new nuclear reactors to drive energy rejuvenation

As reported by Reuters, Ukraine intends to start construction on four new atomic reactors this year. These are planned to be an extension of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant located in the west of Ukraine.

Two of the units will be based on technology and equipment of Russian production, which Ukraine plans to import from Bulgaria. The remaining two units are expected to utilize Western technology from the energy equipment manufacturer, Westinghouse.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko has commented that these new reactors aim to rejuvenate the country's energy potential, which has strained Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.

As we previously reported, Ukraine, with its four nuclear power plants, is a significant energy producer in Europe. It ranks third in terms of potential nuclear energy production in the continent. According to industry portal nuclear.pl, the 15 Ukrainian units have a total installed capacity of 13,835 MW of energy, constituting over half of the electric power produced in Ukraine.

Per the Energy Forum Ukraine data, it is notable that our neighboring country also possesses one of the largest power systems in Europe. Nearly half of the capacity is derived from thermal power plants. Most of these use hard coal, but gas and fuel oil are also used to a lesser extent - explains the Energy Forum. The problem, however, is that the most potent of these are located in the central and eastern parts of the country, specifically in Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnieper. Some of these have fallen under the control of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Despite the imposition of the Russian invasion, Ukraine, equipped with a production potential of about 55 GW of power, has not only fuelled its own - quite energy-consuming - economy but has also managed to sell surplus production to neighboring countries.