Ukrianian parliament supports purchase of Russian reactors for Khmelnytskyi NPP. Some MPs tried to block decision

“The authorities have launched the ‘Great Nuclear Theft’ and the spending of $1 billion on a Russian reactor. […] What is good (if we can say so in this situation) is permission only for the purchase, not the start of construction,” Zheleznyak wrote in a Telegram post.

Honcharenko stated that European Solidarity would file "blocking orders."

The day before, the parliamentarians reported that the Rada was trying to pass bill No. 11392, while the Energy Committee "completely changed the name and the entire text of the bill" before the second reading.

MP Volodymyr Viatrovych noted that at first the document had the "inconspicuous" title "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Simplifying the Conditions for Conducting Economic Activities" . And by the second reading it became called "On the Acquisition of Equipment Necessary for the Construction of Power Units No. 3 and No. 4 of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant" .

"The committee stupidly threw out the entire text of the bill 11392 adopted as the basis, and instead inserted a completely new text on a completely different topic, which, in fact, repeats the scandalous bill on Russian power units for the Kherson NPP," Viatrovych wrote.

MP Honcharenko called this bill "simply fraudulent."

Servant of the People MP Andriy Zhupanyn insists that "despite fair criticism," thanks to today's decision, Ukraine will be able to conclude an agreement to purchase reactors before the expiration of the sales permit. And the government will prepare a new bill on the completion of the Khmelnytskyi NPP, to which it must provide updated justification and information on sources of financing.

"What's next? The task is to continue to monitor the implementation of the Verkhovna Rada decision by Energoatom and the Ukrainian government and eliminate all the shortcomings of the idea of completion in the bill that will soon be submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers," he wrote.

MP Inna Sovsun emphasized that the Verkhovna Rada has not yet given Energoatom permission to complete the construction of the third and fourth power units of the Khmelnytskyi NPP: "And it did not, because [Energy Minister German] Halushchenko's team, consisting of those involved in corruption scandals, does not even know approximately how much the construction of Khmelnytskyi NPP costs and where to get the money for this pleasure."

Background

The Ministry of Energy and Energoatom have initiated a number of large-scale energy projects, such as the construction of new nuclear reactors at the Khmelnytskyi NPP, to compensate for the energy capacity lost due to the temporary occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

Environmentalists opposed the completion of the reactors, while other critics pointed out the untimeliness of these projects during the war. In April 2024, the government nevertheless approved a bill on the completion of the third and fourth power units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP. The document was submitted to parliament for consideration, but it fell through several times there.

A number of lawmakers criticize the idea to buy Russian-made nuclear reactors in Bulgaria for installation at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant. According to the publication Nashi Groshi, Bulgaria bought these reactors from Russia for the Belene NPP for approximately $600 million (in equivalent). But financial consultants from Mazars conducted an additional assessment, and the price for the sale of the reactors to Ukraine was raised to $ 1.1 billion.

The legislators also criticized the fact that the draft law on the construction of the units contained outdated documentation and calculations. In February, it was reported that Energoatom had ordered a recalculation of the estimate for the construction of new units.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly supported the completion of power units at the Khmelnytskyi NPP and asked the Verkhovna Rada to vote for the necessary bills.