The Ukrainian Nuclear Power Generating Company “Energoatom” and “Holtec International” (USA) have concluded on January 26 in Brussels, Belgium an Amendment to the Contract for the Construction of the Central Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility (CSFSF) to receive spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from three of Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) - Khmelnytsky, Rivne, and South-Ukraine NPPs (Zaporizhya Nuclear Power Plant has its own storage facility for spent nuclear fuel).

According to the Amendment, the civil design and construction of the facility will be the responsibility of “Energoatom”, while “Holtec International” is responsible for the supply of specific dry spent nuclear fuel storage, transport and related technologies which will be deployed in operations on designated NPP sites, during the spent nuclear fuel transportation from NPP sites to the CSFSF, and also at the Storage Facility itself. 

The purpose of the construction of the CSFSF, that will contain spent nuclear fuel exclusively from Ukrainian NPPs, is to strengthen Ukraine's energy independence from foreign energy and services suppliers.

When constructed, the Storage Facility will eliminate the problem with spent fuel removal (Ukraine presently exports almost half of its spent nuclear fuel to Russia for technological storage). The estimated costs of the construction and operation of the CSFSF are expected to be four times less than the total costs, which Ukraine now pays to transport its spent nuclear fuel to Russia; the investment into the facility will be paid off in less than four years of operation.