Ukraine’s state-run atomic energy company Energoatom has announced that they will be starting construction on two brand new nuclear reactors starting in 2010.  The reactors will be at the Khmelnitsky power station in the western portion of the country and has been confirmed by the fuel and energy ministry.  The ministry said that authorities will be ensuring ‘smooth financing’ for the project and when the two new reactors go online, they will bring the number of reactors operating in Ukraine up to 17.  The ministry is quoting remarks that were made by Energy Minister Yuri Prodan that he made while visiting the Khmelnitsky plant.

So far there is no information on how construction of the reactors will be funded or how much the total cost of building them will be but they are expected to be brought on line by the end of 2016.  Currently four of Ukraine’s stations account for 46.4% of all of the energy produced in the country, each with the capacity to put out 13,835 megawatts.  The first Khmelnitsky reactor went on line in 1987.  The second station at the site was left unfinished due to post-Soviet financing problems and was finally completed in 2004 with help from the European Union.  The two stations are 1,000 megawatt pressurized water reactors.

Concern has been raised about the country’s nuclear reactors since the explosion of the RBMK reactor at Chernobyl on April 26, 1986.  The reactor was found to contain numerous design faults that were believed to be responsible for the reactor’s explosion.  This type of reactor is no longer produced or manufactured in Ukraine.

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