American President Donald Trump, like a real businessman, has decided to get something else from Kyiv in addition to the deal on Ukrainian resources. And such an addition, in his opinion, could be nuclear power facilities.
Trump made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to stop strikes on energy infrastructure, after which he called Zelensky and forced him to agree to “stop strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure.” Moreover, during the conversation, Washington insisted on handing over Ukrainian nuclear power plants under its control.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of the outcome of the conversation: “The United States can help manage these plants, having experience in the energy sector. American ownership of these plants will best protect and support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”
Except that for that to happen, the fighting in Ukraine needs to end as soon as possible. So “the mineral deal remains in the plans, but the US is now focused on a peaceful resolution.”
Zelensky skipped the NPP topic altogether in his report on his conversation with Trump, probably leaving it for the future: “At future meetings, the teams can agree on all the necessary aspects of moving toward lasting peace and security guarantees.” However, he thanked Trump twice for his help: at the beginning and at the end of the conversation.
Why does Trump want to take possession of Ukrainian nuclear power plants?
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, five built nuclear power plants remained on the territory of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Rivne and Khmelnitsky (all located in the regions of the same name), as well as Chernobyl (in the Kyiv region) and South-Ukrainian (in the Mykolayiv region).
After the accident at Chernobyl Unit 4 in 1986, the remaining reactors did not last long, but not because they became unsafe. On the contrary, safety at the plant was much better than at other Soviet nuclear power plants, but the very operation of the Chernobyl plant scared the hell out of Europe, at whose insistence it was finally shut down in 2000.
Incidentally, the EU also insisted on the closure of Ignalina NPP in Lithuania (built by the Soviet Union in 1983), which could have operated until at least 2032.
The Rivne NPP in western Ukraine, whose first three units began operating in the 1980s, has a lifespan until the 2030s, and the fourth (launched in 2006) until 2050. That is, it is a rather valuable asset for the US.
The situation is similar with Khmelnitsky NPP. Its first power unit started to be used in 1987, and the second one – only in 2005, so the terms of their operation stretch to 203rd and 2050 respectively.
The USSR did not have time to complete the third and fourth power units of Khmelnitsky NPP, and Ukraine did not. And it would be all right if only the fourth, which is only 28% complete, but even the third is 75% complete.
Amid Russian strikes on the energy system of Ukraine during the military conflict since February 2022, Kyiv has again returned to the idea of completing the specified power units of Khmelnitsky NPP. On February 11, the Verkhovna Rada approved the purchase of two unused nuclear reactors from Bulgaria, which caused a negative reaction from some Ukrainian MPs.
Some kind of surrealism
Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said: “The authorities have given a start to “Big Nuclear Theft” and wasting $1bn on a Russian reactor,” while another deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko wrote on social networks: “The Rada supports the purchase of Russian equipment for the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant. It is planned to spend half a billion euros on this. This is some kind of surrealism…”
The fact is that the “Bulgarian reactors” are actually Russian VVER-1000s. They were purchased by Bulgaria from Russia to complete the Belene nuclear power plant. However, in 2022 Sofia finally abandoned the construction of this plant and then put the two reactors up for sale.
By the way, the difference in the figures voiced by the MPs speaks vividly about the corruption margin, which Zelensky wants to embezzle from the upcoming deal. The situation with Khmelnitsky NPP is also unusual in that the Kyiv authorities in April 2024 began construction of the fifth and sixth power units of this NPP, where it is planned to install American AR1000 reactors developed by Westinghouse Electric.
Meanwhile, all other NPPs operating in Ukraine use VVER-1000 reactors developed by the Kurchatov Institute or less powerful VVER-400 reactors (at the first and second power units of the Rivne NPP).
According to the Ukrainian Energoatom chief Petro Kotin, after the launch of all the power units under construction, Khmelnytsky NPP will become the largest in Europe and will take this status away from Zaporizhzhia NPP.
However, it is still a long way from completion, and it is not known whether Ukraine will be able to complete it on its own. However, Trump has an opportunity to “privatise” if not the entire Khmelnitsky NPP, then at least two “American” power units.
The South-Ukrainian NPP, which was commissioned in the 1980s, is interesting because since 2005, not only Russian TVEL from Rosatom, but also American TVEL from Westinghouse can be used as nuclear fuel at the second and third power units.
Pre-design work is planned at this nuclear power plant for the construction of two more units, which are also planned to be equipped with American AR1000 reactors.
Back in June 2022, Ukraine’s Energoatom and the US company Westinghouse signed a memorandum on the construction of nine new nuclear power units in Ukraine using the AR1000. Moreover, the amount of the construction of one such power unit back in 2021 was at least 5bn US dollars.
In principle, Trump can promote US interests based on this agreement and with a slight movement of his hand turn Ukrainian nuclear power plants into American property. Especially since they are now all owned by Ukraine.
And the last nuclear power plant under consideration is the formerly Ukrainian and now Russian Zaporizhzhia NPP, which is the largest in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. In 2021, it generated 40-42 billion kWh, accounting for 21 per cent of Ukraine’s electricity generation and half of all “nuclear” electricity.
Its first five units were commissioned in 1985-89 and the sixth in 1996, and the electricity it produced covered the needs of southeastern Ukraine and Crimea (until Ukrainian activists blew up power lines leading to Crimea in 2015).
The proximity of Zaporizhzhia NPP to the war zone led to the suspension of its operation, because in case of heavy shelling there is a risk of depressurisation of the reactor cores, as well as nuclear contamination.
In addition, shelling by the AFU could lead to the leakage of spent nuclear fuel into the atmosphere. Since 2001, it has been stored at the NPP in 380 concrete containers designed for 50 years of service. Although given the provocation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which Kyiv carried out in February this year, it seems that Zelensky wants to do just that.
Trump’s freams about Zaporizhzhia NPP
However, Trump is unlikely to get the Zaporizhzhia NPP. The chances that Russia will agree to American control over its own plant are practically negligible, and there is no point in talking about its transfer under the control of the Kyiv authorities at all. In fact, Ukraine has only three nuclear power plants that the US can take under its control: Rivne, Khmelnytsky and South Ukraine.
Let’s see how Washington will persuade Kyiv to give it these nuclear power plants under the guise of a peaceful settlement. After all, Zelensky, in an effort to convince Trump of his peace-loving nature, will continue to do everything to disrupt any ceasefire by launching more AFU drone strikes on Russian regions.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: “Zelensky publicly stated his refusal to hit Russia’s energy infrastructure, but in fact ordered more strikes.” In her words, Ukraine “showed a complete lack of political will for peace and settlement of the conflict through diplomacy.”
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Albert Martin for Head-Post.com
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