Within the framework of his working visit to Khmelnytskiy region, at
Khmelnytskiy NPP President Victor Yushchenko held an expanded meeting
on nuclear energy development, presidential press office reported.
Speaking at the meeting President Yushchenko said that nuclear
energy is one of the most important constituents on Ukraine’s energy
security. He reminded that currently Ukraine has 15 working power units
at 4 nuclear power plants generating about 47 percent of the produced
electricity.
Therefore, President Yushchenko said, the problems, which have
accumulated in the branch during last few years, require effective
measures. He pointed to need to construct new units, increasing overall
productive capacity of Ukrainian nuclear power plants and developing
power lines infrastructure to bring the electricity to consumers.
As separate problem in the sector President named dependency on
Russian side, inherited from USSR, in purchases of nuclear fuel and
removal of radioactive waste. He noted that our country has large
uranium and zirconium deposits of its own which can provide proper
resources for nuclear fuel cycle provided enough financing of national
enterprises.
Beside that Victor Yushchenko touched upon the subject of
radioactive waste management, saying that most of other countries turn
to preserving the waste until its re-use is possible. According to the
President Ukraine should also consider such long-term management of
waste.
President Yushchenko also said that he opposes the wish of the
Government to privatize ‘Energoatom’, expressing opinion that it would
be a “big mistake.”
