Russia and Ukraine are intensifying their cooperation

28.11.2007 // PR Directorate of TVEL

Russia and Ukraine are intensifying their cooperation in the field of nuclear energy production

During its Nov 20–21 meeting the Sub-Committee on Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Materials of the Committee on Economic Cooperation of the Ukrainian-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission pointed out the interest of Ukraine in stable import of fuel for its NPPs and the necessity of enlarging cooperation under NPP construction projects.

The meeting was chaired by the deputy head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy of Russia Ivan Kamenskikh and the deputy fuel and energy minister of Ukraine Yuri Nedashkovsky.

The key priorities of the Ukrainian-Russian cooperation in the field of nuclear energy are the joint analysis of possibilities of delivery of Russian power equipment to Ukraine and the preparation of proposals on the possibility of implementing Ukrainian-Russian NPP project, particularly, completing the construction of the 3rd and 4th units of Khmelnitsky NPP. The proposals are to be ready by May 1 2008.

The Sub-Committee instructed the Ukrainian side to draft all necessary documents for Ukraine’s participation in the work of the International Uranium Enrichment Center by June 1 2008.

The sides pointed out the necessity of establishing fuel assembly production capacities in Ukraine on the basis of Atomenergomash of Energoatom. The Sub-Committee recommended Energoatom to ratify the relevant license agreement by Dec 2007.

During the meeting the sides expressed commitment to intensify their cooperation on the use of new uranium mining and enrichment technologies and the development of zirconium production and pointed out the necessity of relevant cooperation between their research companies. Particularly, the sides instructed Eastern Mining and Enrichment Combine (Ukraine) and Atomredmetzoloto (Russia) to jointly develop uranium production in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine and Rosatom have been recommended to set up an expert group for developing cooperation in the field of zirconium and hafnium production. The group will consist of experts from TVEL, Zirconium and UKR TVS.

Vice President of TVEL Vasily Konstantinov said that the joint zirconium production project should be considered as part of the Russian-Ukrainian cooperation for the production of fuel for Ukrainian NPPs. In Jan 2008 the expert group will have to work out a plan of action for 2008. One of the possible actions is cooperation with Dnepropetrovsk or Sumy precision pipe plants for the production of cased pipes from TREX-pipes imported from Russia. One more project is processing of the hafnium produced as a result of the fabrication of zirconium concentrate.
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