Ukrainian nuclear utility Energoatom in December confirmed the signing of an additional agreement on the supply of Russian nuclear fuel until 2025 with fuel company TVEL (part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom).
The terms of the agreement, according to Energoatom’s press service, provide for a reduction in Russian fuel supplies, a 2025 limitation on the timing of its deliveries and a revision of the pricing methodology for Russian fuel to take into account current trends in the global market for nuclear materials and improved price conditions.
"The reason for signing the supplementary agreement was ... the expansion of the supply of nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse," Energoatom noted. Denying earlier press reports that the agreement was concluded in secret. It said that the Ukrainian authorities and representatives of the US government and the US energy industry had been informed about the conclusion of the agreement.
TVEL reported that the parties annually sign additional agreements to the current contract for the supply of nuclear fuel to Ukrainian nuclear plants, "which fix specific volumes of fuel supply assemblies for the year and their specific cost”. It said: "The year 2018 was not an exception - the parties agreed on a specific nomenclature of fuel and prices for it for the next period."
The contract between TVEL and Energoatom on fuel supplies for Ukrainian nuclear plants was signed in 2010 and is valid until the end of the service life of reactors operating in Ukraine. "TVEL continues to guarantee the Ukrainian NPPs a modern and cost-effective nuclear fuel under the existing contract. The main priorities in cooperation remain unchanged - maximum nuclear safety and reliability of fuel assemblies," the Rosatom press service noted.
